Listen: Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck Release New Single 'My Epitaph'
Their new album is set for release on May 29.
5x Grammy-winner and Tony Award nominee (Carousel) Renée Fleming and 19x Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck have unveiled “My Epitaph,” the second single from their forthcoming collaboration album The Fiddle and the Drum. The album is set for release on May 29 via Thirty Tigers and is available for pre-order and pre-save HERE.
Originally written and recorded by Appalachian folk artist Ola Belle Reed, this rendition features Fleming and Fleck joined by 3x Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan on vocals. Listen to it below.
“It’s just a fantastic song, and Renée and Aoife together, just lovely” says Fleck. “This is an example of how you can say so much in a simple folk song. It’s a great place to post someone’s creed, as Ola Belle did so elegantly here.”
Fleming adds, “The message of the song, summed up in the lyric, ‘what we’d do for each other, let us do it today,’ is so wise, and bears repeating now, when loneliness has become an actual epidemic. Aoife’s harmonizations add so much richness. It’s amazing how, in this music, a handful of players can bring so many textures and colors to a song.”
Arriving in time for the United States’ 250th anniversary, The Fiddle and the Drum draws from a deep well of America’s musical heritage. Across mountain songs, haunting ballads, and folk hymns, the album pairs Fleming’s expressive voice with Fleck’s banjo, joined by leading voices from the bluegrass and country worlds to celebrate the traditions of Appalachian music.
Though best known for her career on the world’s great opera stages, Renée Fleming has long held a deep love for American folk music. Nearly two decades ago, she and Béla Fleck first discussed the idea of recording an album rooted in the Appalachian tradition. After years of busy schedules kept the idea on the back burner, the two finally revisited the project in 2023 and brought The Fiddle and the Drum to life.
Recorded in Nashville, TN with Béla Fleck serving as producer, The Fiddle and the Drum features a host of world-class bluegrass musicians alongside guest appearances from some of the genre’s most celebrated artists. Additional contributions come from Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Sierra Hull, and Sarah Jarosz.
Fleming and Fleck will bring The Fiddle and the Drum to the stage this year with a series of special live performances, featuring Fleck’s rising all-star bluegrass band My Bluegrass Heart. The duo will make their debut at Nashville’s storied Grand Ole Opry on May 16.
Additional appearances include the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, as well as performances at the Chautauqua Institution, with more dates to be announced. The run will culminate with a special concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on December 3. Guests from the album will join the lineup along the way, including Aoife O’Donovan and Sierra Hull.
Renée Fleming with Béla Fleck Tour Dates
May 16, 2026 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry
May 23, 2026 - Charleston, SC - Spoleto Festival
June 19, 2026 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Bluegrass Festival
August 20-22, 2026 - Chautauqua, NY - Chautauqua Institution
December 3, 2026 - New York, NY - Carnegie Hall
Renée Fleming (photo credit: Andrew Eccles)
Béla Fleck (photo credit: Hazel Coonagh)
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