Renée Fleming

Fleming was born on February 14, 1959, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the daughter of two music teachers.{{Cite web |last=Freile |first=Victoria E. |title=Churchville native Renée Fleming nominated for Tony Award |url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/05/01/renee-fleming-churchville-nominated-tony-award/568024002/ |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=Democrat and Chronicle |language=en-US}} She has great-grandparents who were born in Prague and later emigrated to the US.{{cite web|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/section/arts/opera-star-renee-fleming-discusses-her-czech-roots-singing-in-the-language-and-a-planned-duet-with-lou-reed-in-prague-in-november |title="Radio Prague", July 17, 2009 |publisher=Radio.cz |date=July 17, 2009 |access-date=February 2, 2014}}See also Renée Fleming, The Inner Voice: the Making of a Singer. Paperback ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. She grew up in Churchville, New York and attended Churchville-Chili High School.

She studied with Patricia Misslin at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education in 1981.{{cite web |title=8 Things You May Not Know About Renée Fleming |url=https://ums.org/2023/08/25/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-renee-fleming/ |website=University Musical Society |date=August 25, 2023 |access-date=December 18, 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/16/nyregion/music-so-she-didn-t-get-into-juilliard-big-deal.html|last1=Kandell |first1=Leslie |title=Music; So She Didn't Get Into Juilliard. Big Deal|newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 16, 1996 |access-date=August 11, 2020}} While at SUNY Potsdam, Fleming took up singing with a jazz trio at Alger's, an off-campus bar.{{cite web |url=https://jazztimes.com/features/interviews/renee-fleming-jazz-inspired/|last1=Carmichael |first1=Judy |title=Renee Fleming: Jazz Inspired |website=JazzTimes |date=April 26, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2020}} The jazz saxophonist Illinois Jacquet invited her on tour with his big band, but she chose instead to continue with graduate studies with voice teacher John Maloy at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester,{{cite news |last1=McGrath |first1=Charles |title=The Diva Departs: Renée Fleming's Farewell to Opera |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/arts/music/the-diva-departs-renee-flemings-farewell-to-opera.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 5, 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2020}}{{cite web |title=John Maloy |url=https://www.esm.rochester.edu/about/portraits/maloy/ |website=Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester |date=May 24, 2011 |access-date=August 11, 2020}} from which she received a Master of Music in 1983.{{cite web |title=Renée Fleming (b. 1959) |url=https://www.rochester.edu/2020-celebration/renee-fleming/ |website=University of Rochester |date=June 2, 2020 |access-date=December 18, 2023}}

As a student, Fleming spent several summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS), where she studied with Jan DeGaetani and was directed by Edward Berkeley.{{cite web |url=http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/aspen-opera-theater-announcement| title=Aspen Opera Theater Announcement |website=Aspen Music Festival and School |access-date=August 11, 2020}} She appeared in the role of Anne Sexton in Conrad Susa's Transformations (1983); gave her first performance as Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (1984), the role in which she later made most of her major opera house debuts; and sang the role of Anne in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (1987).{{cite web |last1=Krause |first1=David |title=Aspen Music School announces new opera program with Renee Fleming, Patrick Summers |url=https://www.aspentimes.com/news/aspen-music-school-announces-new-opera-program-with-renee-fleming-patrick-summers/ |website=The Aspen Times |date=August 5, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2020}} She also performed scenes from Der Rosenkavalier, and the Marschallin in that opera became one of her calling-card roles at opera houses around the globe.

She won a Fulbright Scholarship{{Cite web|title=Renee Fleming – 2011 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal Recipient|url=https://members.fulbright.org/page/2011_Fleming|access-date=October 10, 2021|website=fulbright.org}} in 1985, which enabled her to work in Europe with Arleen Augér and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.{{cite web |last1=Salazar |first1=David |title=Artist Profile: Soprano Renée Fleming, America's Great Diva |url=https://operawire.com/artist-profile-soprano-renee-fleming-americas-great-diva/ |website=OperaWire |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2020}} Fleming then sang at jazz clubs to pay for further studies at the Juilliard School.Brady, James: [http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_11-07-2004/in_step_with_0 "In Step With: Renée Fleming"] Parade Magazine, November 7, 2004 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627093019/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_11-07-2004/in_step_with_0 |date=June 27, 2009 }} While at Juilliard, she sang in roles with the Juilliard Opera Center, appearing as Musetta in Puccini's La bohème and the Wife in Menotti's Tamu-Tamu, among others.John Rockwell, [https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/11/arts/opera-graziella-sciutti-s-boh-eme-at-juilliard.html "Opera: Graziella Sciutti's Bohème at Juilliard"] The New York Times, December 11, 1983Will Crutchfield, [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/26/arts/opera-menotti-stages-a-double-bill-at-juilliard.html "Opera: Menotti Stages a Double Bill at Juilliard"], The New York Times, April 26, 1987 Her voice teacher at Juilliard was Beverley Peck Johnson.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/22/arts/beverley-peck-johnson-96-voice-teacher.html|title=Beverley Peck Johnson, 96, Voice Teacher|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 22, 2001|author=Anthony Tommasini}} She graduated Juilliard with an Artist Diploma in 1986.{{cite web |title=Renée Fleming |url=https://yale2020.yale.edu/honorary-degrees/renee-fleming |website=Yale 2020 |date=May 18, 2020 |access-date=December 18, 2023}}{{cite web |title= A Generous Gift Will Help Grad Students |url=https://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/generous-gift-will-help-grad-students |website=The Juilliard Journal |date=November 28, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2023}}

Fleming began performing professionally in smaller concerts and with small opera companies while still a graduate student at Juilliard. She sang frequently in the Musica Viva concert series sponsored by the New York Unitarian Church of All Souls during the 1980s.{{cite news|first=Alex|last=Ross|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/19/arts/classical-music-in-review-240010.html|title=Classical Music in Review: Musica Viva of New York Unitarian Church of All Souls|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 19, 1994|access-date=February 2, 2014}} In 1984 she sang nine songs by Hugo Wolf in the world premiere of Eliot Feld's ballet Adieu, which she again performed in 1987 and 1989 at the Joyce Theater.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/16/arts/dance-premiere-of-eliot-feld-s-adieu.html|first=Jack|last=Anderson|author-link=Jack Anderson (dance critic)|title=Dance: Premiere of Eliot Feld's Adieu|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 16, 1984|access-date=February 2, 2014}} In 1986 she sang her first major operatic role, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, at the State Theatre in Salzburg, Austria. Two years later she portrayed Thalie, Clarine and La Folie in Jean-Philippe Rameau's Platée with the Piccolo Teatro dell'Opera in New York.{{cite web|first=Donal|last=Henahan|author-link=Donal Henahan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/15/arts/review-theater-in-a-rameau-opera-ballet-a-french-baroque-challenge.html|title=Review/Theater; In a Rameau Opera-Ballet, A French Baroque Challenge|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 15, 1988|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

Her major break came in 1988 when she won the Met Auditions at age 29. That same year she sang the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro in her debut with Houston Grand Opera. She reprised the role the following year in her debut at the Spoleto Festival in Italy.{{cite news|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/30/arts/review-opera-a-tender-intimate-figaro-in-small-charleston-theater.html|title=Review/Opera; A Tender, Intimate Figaro In Small Charleston Theater|work=The New York Times|date=May 30, 1989|access-date=February 2, 2014}} Also in 1989, Fleming made her debut with the New York City Opera as Mimì in La bohème under conductor Chris Nance and her debut with The Royal Opera, London, as Dircé in Cherubini's Médée. She also was awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant and won the George London Competition.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/27/arts/richard-tucker-award-goes-to-texas-soprano.html|title=Richard Tucker Award Goes to Texas Soprano|work=The New York Times|date=April 27, 1989|access-date=February 2, 2014}}{{cite web|first=Will|last=Crutchfield|author-link=Will Crutchfield|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/18/arts/review-opera-a-soprano-makes-debut-in-city-opera-boheme.html|title=Review/Opera; A Soprano Makes Debut in City Opera Boheme|work=The New York Times|date=August 18, 1989|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

In 1990 she was once again honored by the Richard Tucker Music Foundation but this time with the highly coveted Richard Tucker Award.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/02/arts/soprano-is-recipient-of-richard-tucker-prize.html|title=Soprano Is Recipient Of Richard Tucker Prize|work=The New York Times|date=May 2, 1990|access-date=February 2, 2014}} That same year she made her debut with Seattle Opera in her first portrayal of the title role in Rusalka, a role that she has since recorded and reprised at many of the world's great opera houses. She also sang for the 50th anniversary of the American Ballet Theatre in their production of Eliot Feld's Les Noces and returned to the New York City Opera to sing both the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen. She sang the title role in the US premiere presentation of Donizetti's 1841 opera Maria Padilla with Opera Omaha.Leo Adam Biga, {{cite web|title=From the Archives: Opera Comes Alive Behind the Scenes at Opera Omaha Staging of Donizetti's Maria Padilla Starring Rene Fleming (sic)|url=http://leoadambiga.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/from-the-archives-opera-comes-alive-behind-the-scenes-at-opera-omaha-staging-of-donizettis-maria-padilla-starring-rene-fleming/|work=Leo Adam Biga's Blog|access-date=November 17, 2013|date=September 26, 2011}} In addition, she sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia with the Opera Orchestra of New York.Anna Kisselgoff, [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/09/arts/review-dance-ballet-theater-celebrates-its-anniversary-again.html "Review/Dance; Ballet Theater Celebrates Its Anniversary (Again)"], The New York Times, May 9, 1990John Rockwell, [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/02/arts/review-city-opera-a-solid-figaro-opens-a-season.html "Review/City Opera; A Solid Figaro Opens A Season"], The New York Times, August 2, 1990

Fleming's first television appearance came in January 1991, singing the Cherry Duet from Mascagni's L'amico Fritz with Luciano Pavarotti on Live from Lincoln Center.{{cite web|title=The Paley Center for Media|url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=finale&p=78&item=T:74490_002|access-date=February 11, 2020}} Fleming made her Met and San Francisco Opera debut portraying Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro in 1991. She was originally not scheduled to make her Met debut until the following season, but stepped in to replace Felicity Lott who had become ill.{{cite news|author=Allan Kozinn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/21/arts/review-opera-early-debut-for-soprano-who-won-tucker-award.html|title=Early Debut for Soprano Who Won Tucker Award|work=The New York Times|date=March 21, 1991|access-date=February 2, 2014}} She returned to the Met later that year to sing Rosina in the world premiere of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles. Continuing her progress, she made her Carnegie Hall debut performing music by Ravel with the New York City Opera Orchestra, sang Rusalka with Houston Grand Opera, and made her debut at the Tanglewood Music Festival as Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.{{cite news|author=Bernard Holland|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/18/arts/reviews-music-japanese-violinist-s-recital.html|title=Japanese Violinist's Recital|work=The New York Times|date=February 18, 1991|access-date=February 2, 2014}}{{cite web|author=James R. Oestreich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/16/arts/music-in-review-877791.html|title=Music in Review: Idomeneo Tanglewood Festival|work=The New York Times|date=July 16, 1991|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

1992 saw Fleming making her debut with Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte,{{cite web|author=Paul Hofmann|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/05/travel/what-s-doing-in-geneva.html|work=The New York Times|date=January 5, 1992|title=What's Doing In – Geneva|access-date=March 9, 2018}} and she sang the role of Anna in Boieldieu's La dame blanche at Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York and the role of Fortuna in Mozart's Il sogno di Scipione at Alice Tully Hall, as part of Lincoln Center's Festival of Mozart Operas in Concert.{{cite web|author=Edward Rothstein|title=Review/Opera; Smash Hit of the 1800's, Now Nearly Forgotten|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/01/arts/review-opera-smash-hit-of-the-1800-s-now-nearly-forgotten.html|work=The New York Times|date=February 1, 1992|access-date=March 9, 2018}}{{cite web|author=James R. Oestreich|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDD1131F933A1575BC0A964958260&scp=32&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt|title=Review/Opera; Decisions, Decisions, One in a Dream|date=August 20, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

Fleming sang the role of Alaide in Bellini's La straniera in a concert performance by the Opera Orchestra of New York; made her debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in Italy in the title role of Rossini's Armida; and debuted with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the title role of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah.{{cite web|author=Bernard Holland|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE6D71E3BF933A25751C0A965958260&scp=35&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt|title=Review/Opera; How Bellini's Second Thoughts Were Really First|work=The New York Times|date=February 10, 1993|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

She also gave her New York City solo recital debut at Alice Tully Hall to great acclaim,{{cite web|author=Allan Kozinn|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DA143AF932A05750C0A965958260&scp=36&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt|title=Review/Recital; The Bringing Together Of Poet and Composer|work=The New York Times|date=March 31, 1993|access-date=February 2, 2014}} sang her first Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Met, and performed Alban Berg's "Three Excerpts from Wozzeck and the "Lulu Suite" with the Met Orchestra under James Levine.{{cite web|author=James R. Oestreich|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE4D8163DF930A25757C0A965958260&scp=37&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt|title=Review/Opera; A Death Clouds Zauberflöte Cast Changes|work=The New York Times|date=April 13, 1993|access-date=February 2, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DF173DF93BA35756C0A965958260&scp=38&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt|title=Mutter Cancellation|work=The New York Times|date=May 8, 1993|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

The same season saw her singing in the world premiere of Joan Tower's Fanfare with Pinchas Zukerman and the Aspen Chamber Symphony{{cite news|author=Kathryn Shattuck|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D9173CF935A25756C0A965958260|title=In Tune With the Spirit of Summer; New Works In a New Hall|work=The New York Times|date=May 16, 1993|access-date=December 11, 2018}} and in the world premiere of John Kander's Letter From Sullivan Ballou at the Richard Tucker Awards ceremony.{{cite news|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|first=Alex|last=Ross|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/16/arts/new-form-for-old-gala-for-prizes-in-voice.html|title=New Form For Old Gala For Prizes In Voice|work=The New York Times|date=December 16, 1993|access-date=February 2, 2014}}

In June 1993, Fleming performed recital pieces at the funeral of the American soprano Arleen Auger at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in New York City.

During the 1993/1994 season, Fleming sang her first Desdemona in Verdi's Otello and her first Ellen Orford in Britten's Peter Grimes, both with the Met.{{cite web|author=James R. Oestreich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/16/arts/classical-music-in-review-807117.html|title=Review: Otello Metropolitan Opera|work=The New York Times|date=April 16, 1994|access-date=April 13, 2019}} During the following summer, she made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in England as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro.{{cite web|author=Edward Rothstein|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/03/arts/critic-s-notebook-of-a-stately-opera-festival-in-a-demanding-new-hall.html|title=Critic's Notebook; Of a Stately Opera Festival in a Demanding New Hall|work=The New York Times|date=June 3, 1994|access-date=April 13, 2019}} In addition, she performed the role of Madame de Tourvel in the world premiere of Conrad Susa's The Dangerous Liaisons. The 1994/1995 San Francisco Opera's season included her Salome in Massenet's Hérodiade.{{cite web|author=James R. Oestreich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/13/arts/music-review-operas-on-willful-women-and-pliable-men.html|title=Music Review; Operas on Willful Women and Pliable Men|work=The New York Times|date=September 13, 1994|access-date=April 13, 2019}}

In 1995 Fleming portrayed the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier with Houston Grand Opera; sang in Salomé in Massenet's Hérodiade with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall;{{cite web|author=Edward Rothstein|title=Opera Review; Eve Queler Conducts Herodiade, a Massenet Rarity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/16/arts/opera-review-eve-queler-conducts-herodiade-a-massenet-rarity.html|work=The New York Times|date=February 16, 1995|access-date=August 6, 2019}} and sang Rusalka with the San Francisco Opera. Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Solti at Royal Festival Hall in London followed, as did a lauded recital at the Morgan Library.{{cite web|author=Anthony Tommasini|title=In Performance: Classical Music|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9904E4D81639F931A35752C1A963958260.html|work=The New York Times|date=November 2, 1995|access-date=August 6, 2019}}

A highlight of 1996 was her signing of an exclusive recording contract with the London/Decca label, making her the first American singer in 31 years to do so, the last having been Marilyn Horne.{{cite web|author=Nadine Brozan |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E7DD1639F937A25750C0A960958260&scp=76&sq=%22Renee+Fleming%22&st=nyt |title=The New York Times, March 14, 1996 |work=New York Times |date=March 14, 1996 |access-date=February 2, 2014}}

The title role in Rossini's Armida at the Pesaro Festival in Italy also came in 1996. Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Met followed, as did the soprano solo in the Verdi Requiem with Luciano Pavarotti and the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.{{cite web|author=Anthony Tommasini|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/10/arts/berlin-orchestra-to-open-1996-97-carnegie-season.html|work=The New York Times|date=January 10, 1996|title=Berlin Orchestra to Open 1996–97 Carnegie Season|access-date=March 9, 2018}} Her debut in the role of Marguerite in Gounod's Faust came with Chicago Lyric Opera, and she sang the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Paris Opera at the reopening of the Palais Garnier with Sir Georg Solti.

Solti chose Fleming to be the first recipient of his "Solti Prize", an award given to an outstanding younger singer, and given by the "Académie du disque lyrique" in a ceremony equivalent to the Grammy Awards.{{cite web|author=Alan Riding|author-link=Alan Riding|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/12/arts/in-battle-of-opera-houses-paris-allows-each-to-win.html|title=In Battle of Opera Houses, Paris Allows Each to Win|work=The New York Times|date=March 12, 1996|access-date=February 12, 2020}} That year, Fleming debuted at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany as Eva in Wagner's Meistersinger. Her other performances included recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland and at Alice Tully Hall.{{cite web|author=Anthony Tommasini|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/01/arts/music-review-renee-fleming-thrives-on-tully-hall-s-intimacy.html|title=Music Review; Renée Fleming Thrives on Tully Hall's Intimacy|work=The New York Times|date=June 1, 1996|access-date=February 12, 2020}}

Her first Manon at the Opéra Bastille in France received glowing reviews {{citation needed|date=December 2013}} in 1997. At the Bastille, she also reprised the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier as well as singing Marguerite in Faust and Rusalka at the Met.{{cite web|author=Paul Griffiths|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/24/arts/brushing-the-dust-off-a-familiar-morality-tale.html|title=Brushing the Dust Off a Familiar Morality Tale|work=The New York Times|date=March 24, 1997|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

Two concert performances occurred: first with the New York Philharmonic, first under Zubin Mehta performing a selection of opera arias; the second singing Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate and three songs of Richard Strauss with Kurt Masur. She appeared at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and performed Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Orchestra of St. Luke's under André Previn. She gave recitals as well at notable venues such as the Salzburg Festival in Austria.{{cite web|author=Allan Kozinn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/02/arts/a-new-year-s-concert-tamed-if-not-conquered.html|title=A New Year's Concert Tamed, if Not Conquered|work=The New York Times|date=January 2, 1997|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

Two title roles were offered to Fleming in 1998: Richard Strauss' Arabella with Houston Grand Opera{{cite web|author=Sam Howe Verhovek|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/01/travel/what-s-doing-in-houston.html|title=What's Doing In; Houston|work=The New York Times|date=March 1, 1998|access-date=February 14, 2020}} and Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. Also, there was Countess Almaviva in a landmark production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Met which also starred Cecilia Bartoli, Susanne Mentzer, Dwayne Croft, Danielle de Niese, and Bryn Terfel and which was broadcast on PBS' Great Performances. She made her Carnegie Hall recital debut and sang Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs with Claudio Abbado and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival.Vernon Kidd, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E3DA1331F936A25750C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=5 "Spring–Summer '98; 'Happy Birthday' and Variations"], p. 5, The New York Times, March 15, 1998 and later with the Berlin Philharmonic.

She originated the roles of Blanche DuBois in the world première of André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire with the San Francisco Opera in September 1998.{{cite news|editor=David Mermelstein|author=Francesca Zambello|author-link=Francesca Zambello|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/13/arts/the-new-season-classical-music-looking-ahead-new-or-old-opera-steals-the-show.html|title=Looking Ahead; New or Old, Opera Steals the Show|page=98 AR|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 13, 1998|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

1999 brought appearances at the Bavarian State Opera in Germany as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and she returned to Carnegie Hall to great success with a concert of German lieder. She also performed in recital with André Previn and made her debut at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany.{{cite web|author=Anthony Tommasini|author-link=Anthony Tommasini|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/29/movies/music-review-big-songs-plus-big-voice-equals-reinvented-recital.html|title=Music Review; Big Songs Plus Big Voice Equals Reinvented Recital|work=The New York Times|date=January 29, 1999|access-date=December 9, 2016}} Fleming's CD, The Beautiful Voice, won her a Grammy Award that year.

Performances of two new title roles were given: Handel's Alcina with Les Arts Florissants and conductor William Christie and with the Lyric Opera of Chicago{{cite news|author=Alan Riding|author-link=Alan Riding|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/27/arts/arts-abroad-erotic-twist-for-a-baroque-enchantress.html|title=Arts Abroad; Erotic Twist for a Baroque Enchantress|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 27, 1999|access-date=December 9, 2016}} and Charpentier's Louise with San Francisco Opera.{{cite news|author=Melanie Rehak|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/29/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-8-29-99-questions-for-renee-fleming-lullabye-diva.html|title=The Way We Live Now: 8–29–99: Questions for Renee Fleming; Lullabye Diva|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 29, 1999|access-date=November 27, 2023}} Fleming closed out the year by performing for President Bill Clinton at the White House for a Christmas celebration.{{cite news|author=Lawrence Van Gelder|author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/06/arts/this-week.html|title=This Week – Lights On|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 6, 1999|access-date=December 9, 2016}}

File:Renée Fleming 2008.jpg

In 2000, Fleming appeared at the Met, San Francisco Opera and at Covent Garden in England as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia with the Opera Orchestra of New York.{{cite web|author=Leslie Kandell|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/nyregion/jersey-footlights-understudies-in-spotlight.html|title=Jersey Footlights; Understudies in Spotlight|work=The New York Times|date=February 6, 2000|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

She appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival and at the Met. She performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, under Mark Elder as part of the PBS series Live From Lincoln Center and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Haydn's Creation under James Levine.{{cite web|author=Matthew Gurewitsch|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/21/arts/music-bringing-down-houses-from-mony-mony-to-opera.html|title=Bringing Down Houses, From 'Mony Mony' to Opera|work=The New York Times|date=May 21, 2000|access-date=February 14, 2020}} In June of that year she sang at the installation of New York Archbishop Edward Egan.{{cite news|author1=James Barron|author1-link=James Barron (journalist)|author2=Enid Nemy|author2-link=Enid Nemy|title=Public Lives|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/16/nyregion/public-lives.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 16, 2000|access-date=February 14, 2020}}

As Desdemona in Otello she opened the 2001/02 Lyric Opera of Chicago season, Manon with the Paris Opera, the Marschallin with both the San Francisco Opera and the Met, and Arabella at both the Bavarian State Opera in Germany and the Met. She also sang in Verdi's Requiem twice, once with the London Symphony Orchestra and once with the New York Philharmonic. Fleming also sang at World Trade Center site shortly after the September 11 attacks.

Taking a rather different approach, in 2002 Fleming provided the vocals for Howard Shore's soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack. Her singing can be found in the songs "The End of All Things", "Twilight and Shadow" and "The Return of the King" (Original Soundtrack) and "The Grace Of Undómiel", "Mount Doom", "The Eagles" and "The Fellowship Reunited" (The Complete Recordings). She also sang in several concerts in the United Kingdom with Bryn Terfel and gave the most extensive recital tour of her career, singing in dozens of recitals with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In addition, she portrayed the role of Rusalka with Opéra Bastille and Imogene in Bellini's Il pirata with Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Her career at the Met continued in 2003 with Imogene and Violetta in La traviata. She sang the title role in Massenet's Thaïs with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, in addition to Rusalka at Covent Garden and another Violetta with Houston Grand Opera. A reprise of Blanche in Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire took place at the Barbican Centre in London.

Met performances continued in 2004, with Fleming portraying Rodelinda in Handel's opera and reprises of Rusalka and Violetta at the Met. She also sang her first Countess in Capriccio at the Palais Garnier and performed in concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra among others. Recitals were given in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and the United States and performed in several concerts with Elton John at Radio City Music Hall. Her first book, The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer, was published in 2004 by the Penguin Group.{{Cite book |last=Fleming |first=Renée |title=The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer |publisher=Penguin Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-670-03351-5 |location=New York}}

Massenet's Manon at the Met, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello at Covent Garden, and Thaïs in Vienna were part of her 2005 repertoire, in addition to concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic (Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and Alban Berg's Seven Early Songs, conducted by Claudio Abbado, and released as a live recording by Deutsche Grammophon), the London Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir among several other ensembles.

In 2006, Fleming performed a solo concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Sir Andrew Davis, sang Violetta in La traviata with Los Angeles Opera;[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-11-et-traviata11-story.html "Singing Verdi's blues"] by Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2006 returned to the Met to sing both Manon and Rodelinda; and took up Violetta in the Met's touring production to Japan. Several recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Austria took place, the latter being a celebration of Mozart's 250th Birthday with the Vienna Philharmonic which was broadcast live internationally. She also recorded song cycles with pianist Brad Mehldau, which were released as Love Sublime.Farach-Colton, Andrew [http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/love-sublime "Love Sublime"]. Gramophone. Retrieved May 23, 2016.Goldberg, Joe (August 3, 2006) "When Classical Meets Jazz". The Wall Street Journal. p. D5.

Violetta reappeared the following year in Chicago; Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and Violetta were given at the Met; her Arabella was seen at the Zurich Opera, as was Thaïs at the Théâtre du Châtelet, The Royal Opera, London, in concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus,[https://thomashampson.com/2007/04/29/radio-broadcast-live-from-the-konzerthaus-in-vienna-jules-massenets-thais/ "Radio Broadcast: Live from the Konzerthaus in Vienna: Jules Massenet's Thais], April 29, 2007, thomashampson.com and the Liceu, Barcelona. Performances with over a dozen orchestras, including the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra where she appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist. Additionally, Fleming appeared at numerous music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival and the Lincoln Center Festival and she gave recitals throughout Southeast Asia, Germany, and Switzerland.

File:Renée Fleming 2008 NY.jpg

On September 22, 2008, Fleming became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Met to solo headline opening night. Fleming performed three favorite roles: Violetta in act 2 of Verdi's La traviata; Manon in act 3 of Massenet's Manon; and the Countess in the final scene of Strauss's Capriccio. The performance was also transmitted live in HD to screens in Times Square.{{cite web|url=https://archive.vogue.com/article/2008/10/la-dolce-diva|title=La Dolce Diva|work=Vogue Archive|access-date=February 12, 2020}} The 2008/09 season resulted in Fleming singing Desdemona and Thais at the Met, the Countess in Capriccio at the Vienna State Opera, Tatyana at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and Lucrezia Borgia{{Cite web|url=http://washblade.com/2008/10-31/arts/feature/13507.cfm|title="Coming Full Circle" in The Washington Blade|access-date=February 14, 2025}} at the Washington National Opera.

In 2009, Fleming premiered the complete version of Le temps l'horloge by Henri Dutilleux. She sang Violetta at Covent Garden and Rusalka at the Met, the Marschallin at the Baden-Baden Festival, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Met. She sang a variety of short pieces at Napa Valley's Festival del Sole in California.

Fleming sang in the opening concert of the 2009–10 season of the New York Philharmonic. The concert, telecast via Live from Lincoln Center, was the first performance of conductor Alan Gilbert as music director of the New York Philharmonic. Fleming performed Olivier Messiaen's song cycle Poèmes pour mi.[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/arts/music/18phil.html "Gilbert Debuts as Philharmonic's Director"] by Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, September 17, 2009

During the 2009–10 Met season, Fleming sang in Mary Zimmerman's new production of Rossini's Armida, in the first-ever production of the opera by the company. She returned to that role during the Met's 2010–2011 season, along with the Countess in Capriccio.

On November 14, 2009, Fleming performed at a concert in Prague organized by Václav Havel to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Czech Velvet Revolution, which also featured Lou Reed, Joan Baez and others.[http://www.vize.cz/en/concert-on-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-velvet-revolution/ "Concert on the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution"], Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation Fleming sang the aria "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka in Czech, and also sang "Perfect Day" in a duet with Reed.

In a 2010 Wall Street Journal article, Fleming talked about her view of the battle between opera traditionalists and those who want to reinterpret the standards, siding – with some reservations – with the latter: "I'm not a reactionary. I've loved some of [these productions] when they've been well thought out. I have no problem with edgy, as long as it's not vulgar or disrespectful of the piece." She said her "classic" image meant that she was unlikely to be asked to perform in such productions. In the same interview, Fleming explained her increasing preference for performing in concerts, rather than opera productions, and said, having learned more than 50 operas, that she is unlikely to learn many more.Judith H. Dobrzynski, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303695604575182474127585754 "Renée Fleming: Aria on the Future"], The Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2010

At the Last Night of the Proms in London in 2010, Fleming performed songs by Richard Strauss, Dvořák and Smetana. In December, the Board of Directors of Lyric Opera of Chicago announced that Fleming was named Creative Consultant, a first in the company's history.Daniel J. Wakin, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/arts/music/10fleming.html "Fleming Adds New Role, Helping Guide Opera Troupe"], The New York Times, December 9, 2010.

On July 2, 2011, Fleming sang for the Wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlene Wittstock in Monte Carlo.[http://operafresh.blogspot.com/2011/07/renee-fleming-sings-mozart-at-royal.html " Renée Fleming Sings Mozart at Royal Wedding in Monaco"], Opera Fresh On October 21, 2011, Fleming headlined a gala concert in the opening festivities of the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman.[https://www.pressreader.com/oman/oman-daily-observer/20110928/281479273155138 "Opera launch on Oct 12"], Oman Daily Observer, September 28, 2011; via PressReader In November 2011, Fleming appeared in the title role of Handel's Rodelinda at the Met, in a revival of a production created for her in 2004, the first time the company had ever presented the work.[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/arts/music/renee-fleming-returns-in-rodelinda-opera-review.html "Bringing Back the Baroque in a Revival Tailored to the Met"] by James R. Oestreich, The New York Times, November 15, 2011

Fleming performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra on January 29, 2011, for the Academy of Music 154th Anniversary Concert. Paul Simon also performed at the concert, and together with Fleming sang "The Sound of Silence".{{Cite web|url=http://operafresh.blogspot.com/2011/01/paul-simon-and-renee-fleming-in-concert.html|title = Opera Fresh: Paul Simon and Renée Fleming in Concert|date = January 30, 2011}} On November 11, 2011, Fleming performed A. R. Gurney's Love Letters with Alec Baldwin at Carnegie Hall in New York City.{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/renee-fleming-and-alec-baldwin-read-love-letters-at-zankel-hall-nov-17-com-184638|title = Renée Fleming and Alec Baldwin Read Love Letters at Zankel Hall Nov. 17|date = November 17, 2011|work=Playbill}} In her role as creative consultant to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fleming collaborated with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe to develop Second City's Guide to the Opera, which was staged at the Lyric Opera on January 5, 2013. Fleming co-hosted and co-starred with actor Patrick Stewart for the sold-out performance.{{Cite web|url=https://chicagoontheaisle.com/2013/01/07/scenes-from-the-second-city-guide-to-the-opera/|title = Laughter storms the high C's as Second City, Fleming and Stewart skewer opera at the Lyric|date = January 8, 2013}}

On April 26, 2013, Fleming sang the world premiere of The Strand Settings at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. Written for Fleming by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg and presented as part of Fleming's Perspectives residency at Carnegie Hall, the work is a setting of poems by the Canadian poet Mark Strand. The performance received a five-minute ovation.[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/arts/music/renee-flemings-perspectives-residency-at-carnegie-hall.html "Ruminating on Love and Desire"] by Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, April 28, 2013 In the Spring of 2014, Fleming performed the role of Blanche Dubois in André Previn's operatic adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire at Carnegie Hall in New York and later in Chicago and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty described Fleming as "that rare opera star whose expressive vocal potential is nearly matched by a gestural eloquence", and wrote:

Renée Fleming's magnificent Blanche dominates the stage in every scene that she's in. The tragedy belongs to her character – and it's personal, achingly so. Fleming is quite simply the best Blanche I've seen since Elizabeth Marvel brutally essayed the role in Ivo van Hove's brilliant deconstruction at New York Theatre Workshop in 1999.{{Cite news|last=McNulty|first=Charles|author-link=Charles McNulty|date=2014-05-22|title=Critic's Notebook: Theatrical victory belongs to Blanche in Streetcar opera|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-blanche-streetcar-named-desire-opera-20140522-column.html|access-date=2021-10-10|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

In January 2015, Fleming co-starred with Kelli O'Hara in a new production of the operetta The Merry Widow at the Met in New York. The production was directed by Susan Stroman, the winner of five Tony Awards.[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/arts/music/susan-stromans-the-merry-widow-at-the-met.html "Talking (and Talking) About Love"] by Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, January 1, 2015 In April 2015, Fleming made her Broadway debut in a new comedy by Joe DiPietro, Living on Love, directed by Kathleen Marshall at the Longacre Theatre. Fleming played the role of an opera diva in the production, which also featured Douglas Sills, Anna Chlumsky and Jerry O'Connell.{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2015/04/20/renee-fleming-and-douglas-sills-play-vain-divas-in-guilty-pleasure-living-on-love/|title = Renée Fleming and Douglas Sills play vain divas in guilty pleasure 'Living on Love'|date = April 21, 2015}}

On May 5, 2016, Fleming sang at Carnegie Hall's 125th Anniversary Gala. Itzhak Perlman, James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma and others also performed. Richard Gere served as the host.[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/arts/music/review-carnegie-hall-turns-125-with-brass-and-other-fanfare.html "Review: Carnegie Hall Turns 125, With Brass and Other Fanfare"] by Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, May 6, 2016 On December 9, 2016, Fleming sang jazz with bassist Christian McBride at Wigmore Hall in London.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/jazz-renee-fleming-at-the-wigmore-hall-mffmndxlx|title = Jazz: Renée Fleming at the Wigmore Hall|last1 = Davis|first1 = Clive}}

On May 13, 2017, Fleming performed the role of the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier for the last time at the Met.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/arts/music/the-diva-departs-renee-flemings-farewell-to-opera.html|title=The Diva Departs: Renée Fleming's Farewell to Opera|work=The New York Times|date=April 5, 2017|first=Charles|last=McGrath}} In an interview, Fleming stated that she will focus in the future on new roles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/renee-fleming|title = Renee fleming|website = PBS}}

Fleming performed the role of Nettie Fowler in a 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel at the Imperial Theatre. Produced by Scott Rudin and directed by Jack O'Brien, the show garnered 11 Tony Award nominations, including a Tony nomination for Fleming herself.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonyawards.com/press/2018-tony-award-nominations/|title = 2018 Tony Award Nominations}}

On September 1, 2018, Fleming sang "Danny Boy" at the funeral service for Senator John McCain held at the Washington National Cathedral.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/01/john-mccain-funeral-danny-boy-brings-cindy-mccain-tears/1173494002/|title=Cindy McCain weeps during powerful rendition of 'Danny Boy' at John McCain funeral|first1=Gary |last1=Craig|first2=Mary |last2=Bowerman|date=September 1, 2018|access-date=September 2, 2018|work=USA Today}} On October 2, 2018, Fleming sang at the Carnegie Hall opening night gala with Audra McDonald and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/audra-mcdonald-and-renee-fleming-headline-carnegie-halls-opening-night-gala-october-3|title=Audra McDonald and Reneé Fleming Headline Carnegie Hall's Opening Night Gala October 3|date=October 3, 2018}}

During April and May 2019, Fleming appeared opposite actor Ben Whishaw in Norma Jeane Baker of Troy, the inaugural production in the Kenneth C. Griffin Theater at The Shed in Manhattan. In his review, New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley wrote:

[Fleming's] creamy, disembodied voice floats through the air like thought made sound...Mr. Whishaw and Ms. Fleming are, against the odds, marvelous. They somehow lend an emotional spontaneity to ritualistic words and gestures, while conjuring an affecting relationship.[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/theater/norma-jeane-baker-of-troy-review.html "Review: Marilyn Monroe Goes to War in Norma Jeane Baker of Troy] by Ben Brantley, The New York Times, April 10, 2019

On July 24, 2019, Fleming performed the world premiere of Penelope, a collaboration between Tom Stoppard and André Previn, with the Emerson String Quartet and pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Fleming was joined by actress Uma Thurman, who provided narration for the spoken text.{{Cite web|url=https://www.classical-scene.com/2019/07/26/penelopoe|title = A Chamber-Scale Odyssey with Many Champions|date = July 26, 2019}} In the summer of 2019, Fleming co-starred with Dove Cameron and Alex Jennings in the London premiere of The Light in the Piazza, which received six Tony awards when it opened on Broadway in 2005. In his review of the musical for The Daily Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen wrote "[The] first London staging is lucky to have netted Renée Fleming for the central role of Margaret ... Fleming makes the transition to Broadway style effortlessly, using her gorgeously rich middle register ... and handling the spoken dialogue with wit and assurance."{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/light-piazza-review-royal-festival-hall-renee-fleming-makes/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/light-piazza-review-royal-festival-hall-renee-fleming-makes/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title = The Light in the Piazza, Royal Festival Hall, review: Just the thing for a wet Saturday afternoon|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=London|date = June 19, 2019|last=Christiansen|first=Rupert|author-link=Rupert Christiansen}}{{cbignore}} Fleming performed the same role when the production was staged in Los Angeles and Chicago later in 2019.

In 2019, Fleming also premiered the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts' The Brightness of Light, a setting of letters between Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. Fleming performed the work in concert at Tanglewood, Santa Fe, Aspen and the Kennedy Center.

On September 25, 2020, Fleming appeared in a live concert with Vanessa Williams, titled "A Time to Sing", for a small, socially-distanced audience in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The performance, the first on a stage inside the Kennedy Center since the March 13 shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was also live-streamed.Peter Marks: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/first-show-at-kennedy-center-since-covid-shutdown/2020/09/27/f57aac6e-fff1-11ea-b555-4d71a9254f4b_story.html "Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams sang at the Kennedy Center. And it turned the electricity back on"], The Washington Post, September 27, 2020

On January 20, 2021, Fleming sang at a private mass attended by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prior to their swearing-in as president and vice president of the US. Attendees also included the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.{{cite news|last=Barone|first=Joshua|title=An 'intensely emotional' Renée Fleming sings 'Ave Maria' and 'America the Beautiful' at Inauguration Day Mass|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/renee-fleming-inauguration.html|access-date=March 25, 2021|work=The New York Times|date=January 20, 2021}}

On November 22, 2022, she returned to the stage to sing the role of Clarissa Vaughan in the world premiere of Kevin Puts' opera The Hours at the Met.Daniel D'Addario (December 1, 2022), [https://variety.com/2022/theater/reviews/the-hours-renee-fleming-opera-review-1235445935/ "The Hours, in Its Latest Adaptation, Is a Stunning Triumph for the Met: Opera Review"], Variety (magazine). The performance of December 10 was video-cast as part of the Met Live in HD series.[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/season/2022-23/hours-the/programs/121022-the-hours.pdf Met program for the performance of The Hours on December 10, 2022]. Retrieved December 15, 2022.

She performed with Dead and Company at the Las Vegas Sphere concert during their Space segment on 4/18/25

File:Tim Jessell and Renée Fleming LA 2015.jpg

Fleming has been married twice. Fleming married actor Rick Ross in 1989, and the couple had two daughters. The couple divorced in 2000.James Barron with Anthony Tommasini and Joyce Wadler, [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/03/nyregion/public-lives.html "Public Lives"], The New York Times, November 3, 1998. On September 3, 2011, Fleming married tax lawyer Tim Jessell, whom she met on a blind date set up by author Ann Patchett.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/love-etc-opera-star-renee-fleming-marries-washington-lawyer-tim-jessell/2011/09/09/gIQAzfAFLK_blog.html|title=Love, etc...: Opera star Renée Fleming marries Washington lawyer Tim Jessell|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 11, 2011|access-date=July 6, 2015}}

File:Renée Fleming performs with US Naval Academy Glee Club at Lincoln Memorial 1-18-09 hires 090118-F-4692S-033a.jpg on January 18, 2009.|alt=Fleming surrounded by a large military band, singing]]

Fleming appeared as a special guest vocalist on Joe Jackson's 1994 album Night Music on the song "Lullaby". Fleming has released a number of recordings on the Decca label. In 2000 she was a guest artist alongside the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and the violinist Gil Shaham on the album Two Worlds by Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour. In 2005, Fleming recorded a jazz album with pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Bill Frisell entitled Haunted Heart. On June 8, 2010, Decca/Mercury released Fleming's album Dark Hope, a collection of indie rock covers. The album was the idea of rock managers Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein; after listening to Fleming's performance of "In the Pines" on Elvis Costello's TV show Spectacle, they approached Fleming and producer David Kahne. Fleming's Dark Hope album features covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Band of Horses, Jefferson Airplane and others.Peter Conrad, [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/mar/28/renee-fleming-indie-rock-album "Renée Fleming: Diva goes to the dark side"], The Guardian, March 28, 2010

In 2008, Fleming sang Blossom Dearie's "Touch the Hand of Love" accompanied by Chris Thile, Edgar Meyers, and Yo-Yo Ma on Ma's Songs of Joy and Peace album.{{Cite web|last=Amacher|first=Julie|date=November 25, 2008|title=New Classical Tracks: Yo-Yo Ma and friends celebrate the holidays|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2008/11/25/new-classical-tracks-yo-yo-ma-and-friends-celebrate-the-holidays|access-date=October 10, 2021|website=MPR News}} In November 2010, the Charlie Haden Quartet West released the jazz CD Sophisticated Ladies in which Fleming was a guest vocalist on the song "A Love Like This" by Ned Washington and Victor Young. In 2014, Decca released Fleming's holiday album Christmas in New York, with intimately-arranged jazz treatments of holiday standards. Guests on the album include Chris Botti, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Kelli O'Hara, Gregory Porter and Rufus Wainwright. The album was the inspiration for a PBS special featuring Fleming with the same title.

In 2015, Fleming sang "New York Tendaberry" accompanied by Chris Thile, Edgar Meyers and Yo-Yo Ma on the Billy Childs album Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro, the song winning the Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. In 2017, Decca released Fleming's album Distant Light, which features four songs by the Icelandic composer Björk, Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and the Strand Settings, a four-song cycle composite by Anders Hillborg. Fleming recorded an album of musical theater songs, Reneé Fleming: Broadway, which was released by Decca in 2018. Guest artists included Christian McBride, Leslie Odom Jr., and Dan Tepfer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/broadway-renee-fleming/|title = Broadway (Renée Fleming)}}

Fleming appeared on the children's show Sesame Street singing a lively rendition of "Caro nome" from Rigoletto, replacing the traditional Italian text with lyrics intended to aid children learning to count. She performed several times on Garrison Keillor's public radio program A Prairie Home Companion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.prairiehome.org/shows/57069.html|title = March 10, 2007 rebroadcast with Renee Fleming, Maria Jette, Susan Graham, Bryn Terfel, and Mark Thomsen | A Prairie Home Companion}}

Fleming appears on the soundtrack of the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in which she sings in the fictional language Sindarin. Fleming also sang on the soundtrack of the 2003 Disney release, Piglet's Big Movie, performing the duet "Comforting to Know" with Carly Simon. In 2004, Fleming performed in the Kennedy Center Honors gala, telecast on CBS, in tribute to honoree Warren Beatty. She previously performed in Kennedy Center Honors broadcasts for André Previn (1998) and Van Cliburn (2001). On November 18, 2005, Fleming appeared as guest on the BBC Radio 4 radio programme Desert Island Discs; her favourite was Joni Mitchell's 1971 song "River".[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/3ce72729#p00934fc Renée Fleming] at Desert Island Discs Fleming performed "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on ABC's The View on December 18, 2008.

Fleming performed on HBO's We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009, a concert which also included performances by Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, U2 and others. Fleming sang the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "You'll Never Walk Alone" with the combined choirs of the United States Naval Academy. Fleming appeared on the December 18, 2009, broadcast of the Martha Stewart Show and baked cookies with Stewart and Snoop Dogg.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marthastewart.tv/kick-off-the-holidays-1/videos/mss-s5-e064v-the-christmas-sweater-cookie-show-snoop-dogg-renee-fleming|title = MSS S5 E064V the Christmas Sweater & Cookie Show; Snoop Dogg; Renee Fleming – Kick off the Holidays!}}

Fleming was featured on the first episode of the second season of HBO Masterclass. She led a master class in which she taught and mentored four aspiring college-aged singers.

On Good Morning America on June 8, 2010, Fleming performed a cover of Muse's "Endlessly" from their album Absolution.

Fleming appears on the soundtrack of the 2011 Steven Spielberg animated film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn as the singing voice of opera diva Bianca Castafiore, singing Juliette's waltz from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette.Francis Merson, {{cite web|url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Review/291321,john-williams-the-adventures-of-tintin-soundtrack.aspx|title=Review: John Williams: The Adventures of Tintin (Soundtrack)|work=Limelight|date=February 23, 2012|access-date=August 1, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601131830/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Review/291321,john-williams-the-adventures-of-tintin-soundtrack.aspx|archive-date=June 1, 2013}} She recorded Alexandre Desplat's theme song "Still Dream" for the 2012 DreamWorks animated feature, Rise of the Guardians.{{cite web|title=Rise of the Guardians|url=http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1076/Rise-Of-The-Guardians/Detail|publisher=Varèse Sarabande|access-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228030412/http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1076/Rise-Of-The-Guardians/Detail|archive-date=December 28, 2012}}

On March 20, 2011, Fleming appeared in Grand Finale concert of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra with the Sydney Children's Choir, performing Mozart's "Caro bell'idol mio" K562, under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.Kosman, Joshua, [http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Michael-Tilson-Thomas-fine-tunes-YouTube-Symphony-2388550.php "Michael Tilson Thomas fine-tunes YouTube Symphony"], SFGate, March 21, 2011 In less than one week, the concert had 33 million online views.Melissa Lesnie, [http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/252414,youtube-symphony-attracts-33-million-views-worldwide.aspx "YouTube Symphony attracts 33 million views worldwide"], Limelight, March 25, 2011

On April 6, 2012, Fleming performed Broadway duets with Josh Groban on PBS's Live at Lincoln Center.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/video/live-from-lincoln-center-renee-fleming-at-the-penthouse/|title = Live from Lincoln Center | Renee Fleming at the Penthouse | Season 37 | Episode 1|website = PBS}}

On June 4, 2012, Fleming performed at the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Concert from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, a concert which was internationally broadcast and included performances by Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran and others.

In November 2013, Fleming programmed and hosted a three-day festival held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC titled "American Voices", which explored the artistry and pedagogy of singing across musical genres.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/beautiful-voice-renee-fleming-embraces-the-age-of-versatility/2013/11/14/a53a0a94-4b97-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html " 'Beautiful voice' Renée Fleming embraces the age of versatility"] by Anne Midgette, The Washington Post, November 15, 2013 {{subscription required}} Sara Bareilles, Kim Burrell, Ben Folds, Sutton Foster, Alison Krauss and others conducted master classes and performed in the centerpiece American Voices concert, in which Fleming also performed.{{Cite web|url=https://dctheatrescene.com/2013/11/25/american-voices-star-concert-kennedy-center/|title = American Voices all star Concert at the Kennedy Center}} A 90-minute documentary on the festival and the concert was broadcast on PBS Great Performances.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/american-voices-preview-documentary/3707/|title = American Voices with Renée Fleming ~ Preview the Documentary | Great Performances | PBS|website = PBS|date = December 17, 2014}}

On September 26, 2013, Fleming sang the Late Show Top Ten List ("Top 10 Opera Lyrics") on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman.{{cite news|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/renee-fleming-sings-an-operatic-top-ten-for-david-letterman/|title=Renée Fleming Sings an Operatic Top Ten for David Letterman|author=Michael Cooper|work=The New York Times|date=September 26, 2013|access-date=February 14, 2020}}; {{YouTube|RZ59lj4Y_a0|Renée Fleming Sings the Top 10 on David Letterman 2013}}

On February 2, 2014, Fleming was the first opera singer to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" as part of the Super Bowl XLVIII pre-game ceremonies, the broadcast earning the Fox Network the highest ratings of any television program in the network's history. It was also the largest audience in the history of American television,Zachary Woolfe, [https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/with-renee-fleming-super-bowl-xlviii-gets-an-operatic-opening/ "With Renée Fleming, Super Bowl XLVIII Gets an Operatic Opening"], February 2, 2014, ArtsBeat, The New York Times until it was eclipsed by NBC's airing of Super Bowl XLIX the following year. The gown which Fleming wore while performing has been added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History.{{Cite news|url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/press/releases/renee-fleming-super-bowl-gown-and-wrap-join-smithsonian-collections|title = Renée Fleming's Super Bowl Gown and Wrap Join Smithsonian Collections|date = May 27, 2014}}

On November 9, 2014, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mikhail Gorbachev in attendance, Fleming sang in a televised concert at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.{{Cite web|url=http://operafresh.blogspot.com/2014/11/top-singers-commemorate-fall-of-berlin.html|title = Opera Fresh: Top Singers Commemorate the Fall of Berlin Wall 25th Anniversary|date = November 8, 2014}}

On May 29, 2016, Fleming sang "How Can I Keep from Singing?" to honor fallen service men and women in the National Memorial Day Concert held on West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The concert was broadcast on PBS.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/video/2016-renee-fleming-performs-how-can-i-keep-from-singing/|title = National Memorial Day Concert | Renée Fleming Performs "How Can I Keep from Singing" | Season 2016|website = PBS}}

In 2017, Fleming, in her capacity as creative consultant for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, conceived and served as artistic director of Chicago Voices, a festival and concert celebrating Chicago's vocal music legacy and featuring Kurt Elling, Lupe Fiasco, Jessie Mueller, John Prine, Michelle Williams, Terrence Howard and others.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ent-music-chicago-voices-0808-story.html|title = 'Chicago Voices' steps into the national spotlight|website = Chicago Tribune| date=August 7, 2018 }} Fleming also hosted and performed in the concert, which has been broadcast nationwide on PBS's Great Performances and won three Midwest/Chicago Emmy awards.{{Cite web|url=https://perform.ink/chicago-voices-showcased-nationwide-on-pbs-friday/|title = "Chicago Voices" Showcased Nationwide on PBS Friday|date = August 9, 2018}}

In the 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fleming's Decca recording of "The Last Rose of Summer" is heard in the opening scene and in the middle of the movie, which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Score.

In April 2018, Fleming was interviewed by David Rubenstein on The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations, which was broadcast on Bloomberg Television.[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-07-11/the-david-rubenstein-show-renee-fleming-video "The David Rubenstein Show: Renée Fleming"], Bloomberg Television, July 11, 2018

Fleming sings "You'll Never Know" on the soundtrack of the film The Shape of Water, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Original Score for composer Alexandre Desplat.{{cite web|title=Alexandre Desplat's Award-Winning Original Soundtrack for The Shape Of Water Is Available Now|url=http://www.umusic.ca/press-releases/alexandre-desplats-award-winning-original-soundtrack-shape-water-available-now|publisher=Universal Music Canada|access-date=February 14, 2018}}

On July 4, 2018, Fleming sang in the PBS telecast A Capitol Fourth from the West Lawn of the US Capitol, performing "You'll Never Walk Alone" and, during the fireworks display, "America the Beautiful".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thirteen.org/programs/a-capitol-fourth/2018-capitol-fourth-preview/|title=2018 A Capitol Fourth Preview|publisher=PBS|website=thirteen.org|access-date=June 12, 2018}}

On September 1, 2018, Fleming sang "Danny Boy" at the funeral service for Senator John McCain held at the Washington National Cathedral.

Fleming provided the singing voice of Roxann Coss, the American opera diva played by Julianne Moore, in the 2018 film Bel Canto, an adaptation of Ann Patchett's best-selling novel.

At the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors awards ceremony broadcast on CBS, Fleming sang a jazz aria composed by honoree Wayne Shorter as a tribute to Shorter.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/the-kennedy-center-honors-felt-different-and-it-was-all-because-of-hamilton/2018/12/02/f5bf07be-f65d-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html "The Kennedy Center Honors felt different, and it was all because of Hamilton"] by Peter Marks, The Washington Post, December 2, 2018

Fleming appeared as a guest on the National Public Radio quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! broadcast on October 19, 2019.[https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/771189124/wait-wait-for-oct-19-2019-with-not-my-job-guest-ren-e-fleming "Wait Wait for Oct. 19, 2019, With Not My Job Guest Renée Fleming] – We Quiz Opera Star Renée Fleming on 'Baby Shark{{'"}}, Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis, NPR. October 19, 2019; [https://www.npr.org/transcripts/771185536 transcript]

On June 14, 2020, Fleming premiered a new work by composer John Corigliano, "And the People Stayed Home", a setting of Kitty O'Meara's poem, which was written in the first weeks of the pandemic and became a viral success on social media. The performance was part of a streamed concert, We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope, which also featured performances by Whoopi Goldberg, Lang Lang, and Billy Joel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/news/4092/Renee-Fleming-premieres-John-Coriglianos-setting-of-Kitty-OMearas-healing-words/|title=Renée Fleming premieres John Corigliano's setting of Kitty O'Meara's healing words|publisher=Wise Music Classical|access-date=June 12, 2020}}

On August 1, 2020, Fleming performed a live recital for the Metropolitan Opera Met Stars Live in Concert series, live-streamed from Dumbarton Oaks Music Room in Washington, DC. The performance was later telecast on PBS Great Performances.{{Cite web|url=https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-stars-live-in-concert-review-renee-fleming-in-washington-d-c/|title=Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert Review Renée Fleming in Washington D.C.|date=August 2, 2020|work=OperaWire|access-date=August 2, 2020}}

Fleming was featured in the PBS Great Performances New Year's Eve telecast on December 31, 2020, in a concert taped at Mount Vernon that also included Joshua Bell, Denyce Graves, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yo-Yo Ma, Anna Deavere Smith, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Patti LaBelle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/show/united-song-celebration-americas-resilience//|title=United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America|publisher=PBS}}

Fleming has been an advocate for the study of the relationship between music and health, as well as the utility of music in neuroscience research.

In 2016, Fleming was appointed Artistic Advisor for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In this capacity, she spearheaded Sound Health, a collaboration between the Kennedy Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sound Health has brought together leading neuroscientists, music therapists and arts practitioners to better understand the impact of arts on the mind and body. In September 2019, the NIH announced a commitment of $20 million to support research projects to explore the potential of music for treating a wide range of conditions resulting from neurological and other disorders.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/895c5b00f554466894d1d50a851ef5ec/Striking-a-chord,-NIH-taps-the-brain-to-find-how-music-heals|title = Striking a chord, NIH taps the brain to find how music heals|first=Lauran|last=Neergaard|website=AP News|date = April 20, 2021}} In February 2025, she and those in multiple other positions at the Kennedy Center resigned from their positions after several members of the Board were removed and the sitting chair was removed and replaced by Donald Trump.{{cite web |last1=Fortinsky |first1=Sarah |title=Stars flee Kennedy Center groups after Trump seizes chair |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5142024-stars-flee-kennedy-center-groups-after-trump-seizes-chair/ |website=The Hill |access-date=February 23, 2025 |date=February 12, 2025}}

File:Renée Fleming speaking at NIH May 2019.jpg

In 2017, Fleming and Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, had published a joint article in the Journal of the American Medical Association on music and health.{{cite journal|title=Sound Health {{!}} An NIH-Kennedy Center Initiative to Explore Music and the Mind|first=Francis S.|last=Collins|author2=Renée Fleming|journal=JAMA|date=June 27, 2017|volume=317|issue=24|pages=2470–2471|doi=10.1001/jama.2017.7423|pmid=28586832|pmc=6688192}}

While touring for performances, Fleming has given presentations around the world called "Music and the Mind", exploring the power of music as it relates to health and the brain.{{Cite web|url=https://news.yale.edu/2019/11/26/musicians-and-scientists-talk-music-and-mind-yale-center-beijing|title = Musicians and scientists talk 'Music and the Mind' at Yale Center Beijing|date = November 26, 2019}} Fleming's presentations on this subject have been made at hospitals, arts organizations and research universities. They have included the Compton Lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,{{Cite web|url=http://news.mit.edu/2019/opera-renee-fleming-compton-lecture-0312|title = Opera star Renée Fleming explores music and minds in MIT talk| date=March 12, 2019 }} the Pritzker Lecture for the Chicago Public Library{{Cite web|url=https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/events/5c6c91445443e4340072589d|title = Renée Fleming: 2019 Cindy Pritzker Lecture on Urban Life and Issues}} and the J. Edward Rall Cultural Lecture at the National Institutes of Health.{{Cite web|url=https://oir.nih.gov/wals/named-honorific-lectures/edward-rall-cultural-lecture|title=J. Edward Rall Cultural Lecture | NIH Office of Intramural Research|website=oir.nih.gov}}

Fleming has been an Artist Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.{{cite web|url=https://www.musictherapy.org/ren%C3%A9e_fleming_named_artist_spokesperson/|title=Renée Fleming Named Artist Spokesperson for AMTA & Music Therapy|website=AMTA|date=September 5, 2017}}

In 2020, Research!America awarded Fleming the Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion for her commitment to research advocacy at the intersection of music, the brain, and wellness.

In May 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic had halted concert touring, Fleming launched Music and Mind LIVE, a weekly web series, streamed via Fleming's Facebook page and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts YouTube Channel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/renee-fleming-will-continue-to-explore-music-and-mind-in-live-streamed-series|title = Renée Fleming Will Continue to Explore Music and Mind in Live Streamed Series|date = May 12, 2020}} Episodes featured different guest experts each week from the worlds of medicine, music therapy, research, advocacy, and performing arts, with viewer Q&A. The first guest was former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and later guests included author and neuroscientists Dr. Daniel Levitin, Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins, Deepak Chopra, M.D., and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. 19 episodes were streamed with a total of more than 665,000 views from 70 countries.

On April 20, 2021, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) announced a grant from the Renée Fleming Foundation to convene experts from the fields of neuroscience, music therapy and medicine, behavioral intervention development, clinical trial methodology, and patient advocacy. The goal of these conventions was to explore enhanced data collection for improved clinical trial design and, ultimately, to create a research toolkit to help develop music-based therapies for brain disorders of aging.{{Cite web|url=https://fnih.org/news/press-releases/renee-fleming-foundation-and-fnih-support-initiative-create-music-based|title=Renée Fleming Foundation and FNIH Support Initiative to Create Music-Based Therapies for Brain Disorders of Aging|date=April 20, 2021 |publisher=Foundation for the National Institutes of Health|access-date=April 20, 2021}}

On May 6, 2021, Fleming spoke in the Fifth International Vatican Conference (conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic) on a panel exploring the therapeutic use of music for patients with heart failure and cardiovascular disease. The 3-day conference also featured Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jane Goodall, PhD, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20210506/news/305069943|title=Vatican conference features Fauci, Francis – and Aerosmith|date=May 6, 2021|newspaper=Daily Herald|location=Arlington Heights, Illinois|access-date=May 6, 2021}}

On July 13, 2004, Fleming joined Elton John on stage at Radio City Music Hall to perform Your Song, in the finale of his benefit concert for Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/arts/pop-review-precious-solitude-with-160-to-help.html|title=Pop Review; Precious Solitude with 160 to Help|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 15, 2004|last=Sanneh|first=Kelefa|author-link=Kelefa Sanneh}}

Fleming has supported and served on the board of directors of Sing For Hope since the organization's inception in 2006.{{Cite web|url=https://www.singforhope.org/who-we-are/board-members/|title = Sing for Hope – Board Members}} Sing For Hope is a nonprofit that brings music programs and performances to under-resourced schools, healthcare facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and public spaces.

On April 11, 2013, Fleming hosted and performed at the 20th anniversary gala of Classical Action, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS that raises funds for AIDS and family-service organizations nationwide.{{Cite web|url=https://classicalaction.org/classical-action-celebrates-its-20th-anniversary/|title = Classical Action Celebrates its 20th Anniversary | Classical Action}}

On April 17, 2014, Fleming sang for the 25th anniversary concert of the Rainforest Foundation Fund at Carnegie Hall, performing solo and "Là ci darem la mano" in a duet with Sting. The program also included Paul Simon, Stephen Stills, Patti Scialfa and James Taylor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/rainforest-fund-celebrates-25th-anniversary-star-studded-benefit-concert-article-1.1761076|title = Rainforest Fund benefit concert celebrates 25th anniversary with Sting, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Stephen Stills|website = New York Daily News| date=April 18, 2014 }}

In 2015, Fleming and Andrea Bocelli sang together for the first time ever at "Remembering Pavarotti", a benefit concert for pancreatic cancer research at the Los Angeles Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on September 25.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/scene/vpage/renee-fleming-andrea-bocelli-placido-domingo-honor-pavarotti-at-benefit-concert-1201604591/|title = Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo Honor Pavarotti at Benefit Concert|date = September 29, 2015}}

Fleming has served on the board of trustees of Carnegie Hall, and as the artistic director of SongStudio, Carnegie's intensive program for emerging vocalists and pianists dedicated to the art of the song recital.{{Cite web|url=https://www.berkshirefinearts.com/01-27-2019_carnegie-hall-presents-song-studio.htm|title = Carnegie Hall Presents Song Studio – Berkshire Fine Arts}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.carnegiehall.org/About/Leadership-and-Staff/Board-of-Trustees|title = Board of Trustees}}

Fleming has been a member of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Polyphony Foundation, which brings Israeli youth together through the study and performance of music.{{cite web |url=http://polyphonyfoundation.org/ |title=Home |website=polyphonyfoundation.org}} Polyphony, through its executive director Naheel Abboud-Askar, has created a conservatory in Nazareth where Arab and Jewish students train together, and it has created music appreciation programs for Israeli kindergartens and elementary schools.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/the-power-of-liturgical-music-609390|title=The power of liturgical music|date=November 29, 2019|website=The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com}}

Fleming's signature roles include Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, the title role in Dvořák's Rusalka, the title roles in Massenet's Manon and Thaïs, Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, the title role in Richard Strauss's Arabella, the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, the Countess in Strauss's Capriccio, and Blanche DuBois in André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire.

{{Div col|colwidth=20em|rules=yes}}

• A Salute to American Music, RCA 1992
• New Year's Eve Concert 1992: Richard Strauss Gala, Sony 1993
• Marilyn Horne: Divas in Song, RCA 1994
• Donizetti: Rosmonda d'Inghilterra, Opera Rara 1994
• Strauss Four Last Songs, RCA 1996
• Visions of Love – Mozart Arias, Decca 1996
• Schubert Lieder, Decca 1997
• Signatures – Great Opera Scenes, arias by Mozart, Verdi, Britten, Strauss, with Sir Georg Solti, Decca 1997
• Elijah (Mendelssohn), Decca 1997
• Rusalka (1997)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (1997)
• The Beautiful Voice, Decca 1998
• I Want Magic American Opera Arias, Decca 1998
• Star Crossed Lovers Duets with Plácido Domingo, Decca 1999
• Strauss Heroines, Decca 1999
• The Faces of Love: The Songs of Jake Heggie, RCA 1999
• Requiem (Verdi) with Andrea Bocelli, Olga Borodina and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, conducted by Valery Gergiev, Philips 2001
• Renée Fleming, Decca 2001
• Night Songs Lieder by Debussy, Fauré, Marx, Strauss, Rachmaninov, Decca 2001
• Thaïs (2001)
• Manon (2001)
• Bel Canto Arias by Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Decca 2002
• Under the Stars Broadway Duets with Bryn Terfel, Decca 2003
• By Request, Decca 2003
• Mozart: Così fan tutte, Decca
• Handel: Alcina, Erato
• Rossini: Armida, Sony (live)
• Mozart: Don Giovanni, Decca
• Massenet: Hérodiade, Sony (live)
• Handel Arias, Decca 2003/2004
• Requiem (Verdi), Philips 2004
• Haunted Heart, Decca 2005
• Sacred Songs, Decca 2005
• Homage – The Age of the Diva, Decca 2006
• Love Sublime Song cycles with Brad Mehldau, Nonesuch, 2006
• Strauss: Daphne, Decca
• Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, Decca 2008
• Verismo – Arias of Puccini, Mascagni, Cilea, Giordano, Leoncavallo, Decca 2009
• Dark Hope, Decca 2010
• Poèmes – French songs, Decca 2012
• Guilty Pleasures – Wide range of opera arias, Decca 2013
• Christmas in New York, Decca 2014
• Distant Light, Decca 2017
• Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel, 2018 Broadway Cast Recording, Craft Recordings, 2018
• Renée Fleming: Broadway, Decca 2018
• Lieder: Brahms, Schumann, and Mahler, Decca 2019
• Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene, art songs and world premieres, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist, Decca 2021
• Renée Fleming: Greatest Moments at the Met, live performances at the Metropolitan Opera, multiple composers, double album, Decca 2023

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col|colwidth=20em|rules=yes}}

• Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, NVC Arts 1999
• Previn: A Streetcar Named Desire, Arthaus 1999
• The Kindness of Strangers (documentary) Arthaus 2001
• Ladies and Gentlemen Miss Renée Fleming (documentary) Decca 2002
• Verdi: Otello, Deutsche Grammophon 2004
• Mozart: Don Giovanni, Deutsche Grammophon 2005
• James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala, Deutsche Grammophon 2005
• Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin, Decca 2007
• Verdi: La traviata, Decca 2007
• Strauss, R: New Year's Eve Concert 1992: Richard Strauss Gala, Kultur 2007
• Strauss, R: Arabella, Decca 2008
• Metropolitan Opera: The Audition (2008 documentary)
• Massenet: Manon, Arthaus 2009
• Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier, Decca 2009
• Dvořák: Rusalka, Arthaus 2009
• Massenet: Thaïs, Decca 2010
• Rossini: Armida, Decca 2011
• Strauss, R: Capriccio, Decca 2011
• Strauss, R: Capriccio, Arthaus 2011
• Handel: Rodelinda, Decca 2012
• Strauss, R: Ariadne auf Naxos, Decca 2013
• Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia, EuroArts DVD, 2013
• Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier, Metropolitan Opera HD, 2017, Decca
• Puts: The Hours, Metropolitan Opera on Demand in HD, 2022

{{Div col end}}

File:Renée Fleming Receives the National Medal of Arts.jpg awards Renée Fleming the 2012 National Medal of Arts.|alt=Fleming smiling, as Obama stands beside and looks to her]]

• 1993: Honorary member of Sigma Alpha Iota, International Music Fraternity for Women{{cite web|title=Honorary Members|url=http://www.sai-national.org/home/Membership/DistinguishedMembers/HonoraryMembers/tabid/241/Default.aspx#f|publisher=Sigma Alpha Iota|access-date=February 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111151219/https://www.sai-national.org/home/Membership/DistinguishedMembers/HonoraryMembers/tabid/241/Default.aspx#f|archive-date=January 11, 2011}}
• Fleming received the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her album The Beautiful Voice.
• In 2000, Chef Daniel Boulud named a dessert, La Diva Renée, after her.James Barron, [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/22/nyregion/public-lives.html "Diva Dessert, Soprano Breakfast"], The New York Times, December 22, 1999
• Ann Patchett used Fleming as the inspiration for a character in the 2001 novel Bel Canto.[https://www.npr.org/2002/04/29/1142514/ann-patchett-and-renee-fleming-on-bel-canto "Ann Patchett and Reneé Fleming on Bel Canto], NPR
• Fleming received the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her album Bel Canto.
• In 2003, Fleming was awarded honorary membership in the Royal Academy of Music.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2023/11/30/renee-fleming-kennedy-center-honors-opera/|access-date=December 4, 2023|title=Renée Fleming uses her soprano to amplify the healing power of music|author=Michael Andor Brodeur|date=November 30, 2023|newspaper=The Washington Post}}
• Also in 2003, Fleming received an Honorary Doctorate from The Juilliard School, and she was the Speaker for the Commencement Ceremony.{{cite web|title=Soprano Renee Fleming To Give Her First NYC Master Class on Tuesday, October 20 at Juilliard|url=http://www.juilliard.edu/about/newsroom/2009-10/soprano-renee-fleming-give-her-first-nyc-master-class-tuesday-october-20|work=Juilliard|access-date=November 17, 2013|date=October 2009}}
• In 2004, Fleming received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Classic Brit Awards.
• In 2005, she was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.
• In 2008, Fleming was awarded the Polar Music Prize "in recognition of her sublime unparalleled voice and unique stylistic versatility".{{cite web|title=Renee Fleming|url=http://www.polarmusicprize.org/home/renee-fleming/|work=Polar Music Prize|access-date=November 17, 2013}}
• Fleming's 2009 album Verismo was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance.[http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Renee+Fleming&title=Verismo&year=2009&genre=5 "Past Winners Search": Renée Fleming – Verismo], Grammy.com
• In 2011, Fleming received an Honorary Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music.{{cite web|title=Renée Fleming, The People's Diva; Returns To Her Alma Mater To Perform with the Eastman Philharmonia In a Concert to Benefit the Eastman School of Music|url=http://www.esm.rochester.edu/news/2011/01/renee-fleming-returns-to-her-alma-mater-to-perform-benefit-concert/|work=Eastman School of Music|access-date=November 17, 2013|date=January 11, 2011}}
• Also in 2011, Fleming was the recipient of the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal.{{cite web|title=Renee Fleming|url=http://www.fulbright.org/?page=2011_Fleming|work=Fulbright Association|access-date=November 17, 2013}}
• In February 2012, Fleming was awarded the Victoire d'Honneur prize by France's Victoires de la musique classique.Thierry Hillériteau, [http://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/2012/02/29/03006-20120229ARTFIG00453-renee-fleming-la-melodie-du-bonheur-en-france.php "Renée Fleming, la mélodie du bonheur en France"], Le Figaro, February 29, 2012
• On May 20, 2012, Fleming was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by Carnegie Mellon University.{{cite web|work=The Piper|title=CMU to Award Five Honorary Degrees|url=https://www.cmu.edu/piper/news/archives/2012/may/honorary-degrees.html|publisher=Carnegie Mellon University|date=May 11, 2012|access-date=June 18, 2021}}
• In October 2012, Fleming was named Singer of the Year by the German ECHO Klassik Awards.Wolfgang Spahr, [http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/global/german-echo-classical-award-winners-announced-1007536752.story "German ECHO Classical Award Winners Announced, to Be Honored October 14"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016044349/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/global/german-echo-classical-award-winners-announced-1007536752.story |date=October 16, 2012 }}, Billboard, July 10, 2012
• In February 2013, Fleming received her fourth Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album Poèmes.
• Fleming was awarded the 2012 National Medal of Arts.{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/03/president-obama-award-2012-national-medal-arts-and-national-humanities-m |title=President Obama to Award 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal |date=July 3, 2013 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |access-date=August 1, 2013}}
• On May 28, 2015, Fleming received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Harvard University.{{cite web|url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/05/ten-to-receive-honorary-degrees/|title=Ten to receive honorary degrees |last=Laidler|first=John|date=May 2015|work=The Harvard Gazette|access-date=July 21, 2017}}
• In 2015, Fleming received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• In March 2017, Fleming's album Signatures was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".{{cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-029/ | title=National Recording Registry Picks Are 'Over the Rainbow' | publisher=Library of Congress | date=March 29, 2016 | access-date=March 29, 2016}}
• On May 29, 2018, the asteroid 31249 Renéefleming was named in her honor.{{cite web|title=31249 Reneefleming (1998 DF14)|publisher=Minor Planet Center|url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=31249|access-date=December 4, 2023}}
• On June 13, 2018, Fleming was awarded the Female Artist of the Year at the Classic Brit Awards.
• On June 22, 2018, Fleming received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Northwestern University, where she was also the commencement speaker.{{Cite web|url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/february/opera-legend-and-three-others-to-receive-honorary-degrees/|title=Opera legend and three others to receive honorary degrees |publisher=Northwestern Now |language=en-US|access-date=June 23, 2018}}
• On November 11, 2018, Fleming was awarded the Edison Award Oeuvre Prize, an annual Dutch music honor given for outstanding achievements in the music industry.{{cite web|url=https://www.edisons.nl/|title=Winnaar – Oeuvreprijs – 2018 – Renée Fleming|language=nl|author=|publisher=Edison Award|access-date=February 12, 2020}}
• On May 18, 2020, Fleming received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University.{{Cite web|url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/05/18/university-celebrates-virtual-commencement/|title=University celebrates virtual commencement |date=May 18, 2020|work=Yale Daily News|access-date=May 18, 2020}}
• Fleming received Research!America's 2020 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion (presented May 13, 2021, because of cancellation of the 2020 awards event).{{Cite web|url=https://www.gevme.com/live/2021-advocacy-awards-livepage|title=2021 Advocacy Awards Agenda |publisher=Research!America |language=en-US|access-date=May 13, 2020}}
• On May 26, 2021, Fleming was awarded the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America, during the online graduation exercises for the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, for which she was also the commencement speaker.{{Cite web|url=https://peabody.jhu.edu/event/peabody-graduation-2021/|title=Peabody Graduation 2021 |publisher=Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University|language=en-US|access-date=May 26, 2021}}
• In 2023, Fleming won her 5th Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene.
• On January 16, 2023, Fleming was awarded the Crystal Award, an annual prize for leading artists whose leadership has inspired inclusive and sustainable change, at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
• In 2024, she got an honorary degree from Johns Hopkins University.{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2024 |title=Six influential leaders, artists receive Johns Hopkins honorary degrees |url=https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/05/23/commencement-2024-honorary-degrees/ |access-date=October 30, 2024 |website=The Hub - Johns Hopkins University |language=en }}
• In 2024, honorary degree from Dickinson College.{{Cite web |last=Getty |first=Matt |title=2024 Honorary Degree Recipients |url=https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20309/commencement/4487/2024_honorary_degree_recipients |access-date=October 30, 2024 |website=www.dickinson.edu |language=en}}
• Foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.{{cite web | title=Ledamöter | website=Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien | url=https://www.musikaliskaakademien.se/omakademien/organisation/ledamoter.39.html | language=sv | access-date=November 12, 2024}}
• In 2024, Fleming was awarded the David Mahoney Prize, an annual prize for individuals who have significantly increased public awareness about brain science and disorders of the nervous system, by the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute.{{Cite web|url=https://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/centers-and-initiatives/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/david-mahoney-prize|title=David Mahoney Prize |publisher=Harvard Medical School Blavatnik Institute of Neurobiology |language=en-US|access-date=April 11, 2025}}

• Fleming, Renée. The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-14-303594-7}} (paperback). Published in France by Fayard Editions, in the United Kingdom by Virgin Books, by Henschel Verlag in Germany, Shunjusha in Japan, Pro Musica Mundi in Poland, Fantom Press in Russia, and by Guangxi Normal University Press Group in China. This book is presently in its 16th printing with publications in France, U.K, Poland, Russia, Germany, Japan, and in China.
• Fleming, Renée. Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness. New York: Penguin Random House, 2024. {{ISBN|978-0-593-65319-7}} (hard cover).

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Renée Fleming}}

• {{Official website|https://www.reneefleming.com/}}
• [https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002241115?rskey=zOpKCj&result=1 Renée Fleming] on Grove Music Online
• [https://imgartists.com/roster/renee-fleming/ IMG Artists agency page on Renée Fleming]
• {{YouTube|channel=UCmdnhS3K_E0Bg1vaODEAKlg}}
• [http://www.renee-fleming.com/ Unofficial fansite for Renée Fleming]
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000162553|title=Renée Fleming}}
• {{New York Times topic|people/f/renee_fleming/}}
• {{IMDb name|0281765}}
• {{IBDB name|id=498989}}
• {{C-SPAN|81979}}
• [http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/fleming-0609.shtml Interview with Renée Fleming] at [http://www.musicalcriticism.com/ MusicalCriticism.com]
• [http://www.bruceduffie.com/fleming.html Interview with Renée Fleming], Bruce Duffie, October 21, 1993

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