Lyric Opera of Chicago is pleased to announce the participation of several outstanding singers in the Renée Fleming 25th Anniversary Concert & Gala*, to honor and celebrate American soprano Renée Fleming's extraordinary commitment to Chicago and her unparalleled contributions to our art form.
Renée Fleming herself will sing, of course, along with a starry roster that includes Sondra Radvanovsky, Susan Graham, Lawrence Brownlee, Quinn Kelsey, Željko Lu?i?, Eric Owens, and Christian Van Horn. They will perform with and pay tribute to their beloved friend and colleague in an unforgettable musical celebration. Patrick Summers will conduct the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center will also participate in the concert.
The evening's emcee, additional artists, and repertoire will be announced at a later date.
In 1993, Lyric Opera of Chicago audiences first experienced Renée Fleming's incomparable artistry in the title role of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, and have loved her ever since for her spectacular portrayals in Faust, The Marriage of Figaro, Alcina, Otello, Thaïs, La traviata, A Streetcar Named Desire, Capriccio, and The Merry Widow. She has also given brilliant concerts with the Lyric Opera Orchestra (both alone and in collaboration with Jonas Kaufmann and with the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky); and a dazzling recital with Susan Graham. Fleming has also been featured in the company's 50th and 60th anniversary gala concerts, and was central to the triumphant Chicago Voices concert in 2017.
Since 2010, Fleming has served as Lyric's first Creative Consultant. She has fostered emerging artists through important work as Advisor of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, and encouraged a future generation of opera lovers through Lyric Unlimited programs. She has been the driving force behind projects such as Lyric's world-premiere opera Bel Canto, collaborations with The Second City, and the Chicago Voices initiative, which bridged genres and generations in a groundbreaking, multi-faceted series of programs during the past two years. Fleming is a Vice Chair of Lyric's Board of Directors, and an honorary member of the Women's Board of Lyric Opera.
Fleming continues to grace major venues worldwide. Her 2018/19 season began with the opening-night gala at Carnegie Hall, for which she was joined by Audra McDonald and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. Later this season she will travel to Spain, France, and the Netherlands for recitals, which she will also sing in numerous American venues. In addition, she will return to Paris as a featured soloist in a concert with the Orchestre de Paris under Jaap van Zweden. Last season Fleming was featured on the soundtracks of two Oscar-nominated films, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water. She also earned critical acclaim as Nettie Fowler/Carousel on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination. In conjunction with that success, her latest solo CD, "Renée Fleming: Broadway," was released by Decca Records.
*This one-night-only event will feature an exclusive Gala at The Ritz-Carlton following the performance. To learn more about premiere concert seating and Gala attendance please call 312-827-5682.
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