The Lyric Opera of Chicago Names Renee Fleming as Creative Consultant

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that Renée Fleming, internationally known soprano singer, will join the company's board of directors as the creative consultant -- a first in the company's history.

She will commit to the role immediately and has signed on for a term of five years. She, along with Sir Andrew Davis, Lyric's music director, have also been elected to the Board of Directors as Vice Presidents.  

"Lyric is a vibrant home to so many talented and dedicated colleagues," she said. "I am eager to join forces with them as we work to keep opera relevant and meaningful in people's lives today." 

According to press materials at Lyric's website, Fleming's plans include:

• Curating a world-premiere opera to debut in the 2015-16 season.
• Collaborating with other Chicago-based arts institutions to send a special message about the strength of culture in Chicago.
• Fostering an annual commitment to American music theater, starting with a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma in the spring of 2013.
• Further developing Lyric's young-professionals initiative, which takes opera into the workplace and provides entry-level experiences for the curious adult.
• Expanding the education activities of Lyric to include a joint program with the Merit School of Music devoted to finding and nurturing young, talented singers in the Chicago area, and to making Lyric more accessible to the children and young adults involved in all areas of music education at Merit.
• Presenting non-operatic and off-season performances at the Civic Opera House.
• Continuing her on-stage presence at Lyric, including a Subscriber Appreciation Concert with Dmitri Hvorostovsky honoring General Director William Mason on January 7, 2012; staged concert performances of André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire with Ms. Fleming in the role created for her, Blanche DuBois, in spring 2013; a production of Capriccio for fall 2014, in which Ms. Fleming will sing the Countess (both A Streetcar Named Desire and Capriccio will be part of Lyric's subscription season); and participation in Lyric's 60th Anniversary Gala on November 1, 2014. 

• Establishing a prominent presence in a variety of web-based marketing projects, as well as in print and broadcast media. Ms. Fleming and Sir Andrew Davis are already in preparation for an audio/video series that will introduce audiences to the new 2011-12 season.  

To learn more, as well as to read about Fleming's reaction, "In Her Own Words," visit www.lyricopera.org.