José Limón Dance Foundation Appoints New Artistic Director >>
Here at Classicalite -- be it classical music, jazz, theater or dance -- arts news gets made fresh every single day.
Renee Fleming Celebrates New Vocal Traditions with 'Chicago Voices' Initiative >>
Last week, soprano superstar Renee Fleming announced, in coordination with Chicago's Lyric Opera, a new initiative to celebrate the diverse vocal traditions interspersed throughout the Chicago area. The new program is entitled Chicago Voices and is modeled after a previous endeavor from the singer.
Renée Fleming Dons Hanna in Susan Stroman's 'Merry Widow' Production on PBS >>
With a revival of "Othello" already up and coming, The Metropolitan Opera presents the latest from Tony-award winning director and choreographer, Susan Stroman, with a new staging of the beloved "The Merry Widow." If that weren't enough, star soprano Renée Fleming takes on the character of Hanna.
Renée Fleming to be the Guest Artist for Cleveland Orchestra's 10th Anniversary in Miami >>
The world’s most famous soprano, Renée Fleming, will be the guest artist in the tenth anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra’s Miami residency.
Lyric Opera of Chicago Announces 2015-16 Season, World Premiere of 'Bel Canto'; President and CEO Kenneth Pigott Dies at 71 >>
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2015-16 season will feature nine new-to-Chicago productions, including the long-awaited world premiere of 'Bel Canto,' an opera based on the award-winning 2001 novel by Ann Patchett. Shortly after Lyric announced their upcoming season, Kenneth Pigott, president and CEO of Lyric’s Board of Directors, passed away on February 13.
Jerry O'Connell Added to 'Living on Love' Cast >>
Jerry O’Connell has been added to the long list of stars in the upcoming Broadway production of Joe DiPietro’s "Living on Love" starring Grammy Award-winning opera singer Renée Fleming. Previously announced cast members include Anna Chlumsky and Douglas Sills.
Renée Fleming, Josh Groban and Joshua Bell Star in Thirteen's "La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinema" >>
Josh Groban, Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell will all be a part of Thirteen’s Great Performance’s concert “La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinema.”
Anna Chlumsky, Douglas Sills Added To Cast of "Living on Love" Starring Renee Fleming >>
Anna Chlumsky, who is currently acting alongside James Earl Jones in You Can’t Take It With You, and Douglas Sills will join opera star Renee Fleming in her Broadway debut in Living on Love. Other cast members announced included Broadway stars Blake Hammond and Scott Robertson.
Live Broadcast of Metropolitan Opera's 'Merry Widow' Starring Renée Fleming, Kelli O'Hara in Movie Theaters >>
Select theaters around the nation will be participating in a live, high-definition broadcast of "The Merry Widow" starring opera singer Renée Fleming. "The Merry Widow" is a Metropolitan Opera operetta by Franz Lehár featuring Fleming as the beguiling femme fatale Hanna, who captivates the Paris social seen. Susan Stroman, known for her Broadway productions including the Tony Award-winning musicals "Crazy for You," "Contact" and "The Producers," directs and choreographs the show. Other performers featured include baritone Nathan Gunn as Hanna’s lover Danilo, tenor Alek Shrader as the young nobleman Camille de Rosillon and baritone Sir Thomas Allen as the Baron Zeta. Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, best known for her acclaimed performances in "South Pacific" and "The Light in the Piazza," makes her Met debut as the Baron’s coquettish wife Valencienne.
Renée Fleming Will Make Her Broadway Debut in 'Living on Love' >>
Grammy Award-winning opera singer Renée Fleming will make her Broadway debut this spring in a new play titled "Living on Love," a comedy based on none other then an opera diva, according to "The New York Times." In "Living on Love," Fleming will play opera singer Raquel De Angelis, whose conductor-husband starts to fall for a woman hired to ghostwrite his long-delayed autobiography. She retaliates by hiring her own ghostwriter but also gets romantically attached. Fleming will only sing a little in the play, some improvised a cappella. “I’ve spent my life singing tragic characters, so to be able to make people laugh is an extraordinary joy,” said Fleming. Written by Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro ("Memphis"), Living is based on the play "Peccadillo" by Garson Kanin.
Renée Fleming Hosts 'American Voices' with Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban, Ben Folds, Alison Krauss and More >>
Soprano sweetheart Renée Fleming will be hosting "American Voices," a performance documentary that celebrates the best in American signing, on Thirteen’s "Great Performances" series. The 90-minute performance documentary offers an overview of the Kennedy Center's weekend-long American Voices festival, created and hosted by Renée Fleming in November 2013. This year's festival features stars and musicians from an array of different backgrounds, including Sara Bareilles, Kim Burrell, Kurt Elling, Ben Folds, Sutton Foster, Josh Groban, Alison Krauss, Norm Lewis, Eric Owens and Dianne Reeves. This event comes on the heels of Fleming’s performance of "Silver Bells" with Kelli O’Hara, which some felt fell flat of Fleming's normal performances, a mixed review of her rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVIII and an interesting interaction with Kiss at this year’s Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite the criticism, Fleming moves along with "American Voices," which allows camera crews to follow vocal masters, industry titans and emerging artist as they gather at the Kennedy Center to celebrate, explore and debate the legacy, landscape and future of American singing. The documentary will feature highlights from the festival's unique performances and educational events. Also featured are performances from the festival’s concert finale with Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Kurt Elling and Norm Lewis backed by the National Symphony Orchestra led by NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke.
Renee Fleming Cozies Up with Kiss, Who Have Macy's Drama >>
Famous opera singer and soprano Renee Fleming cozied up to all four original Kiss members at the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Though the two have vastly different musical styles, Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley called Fleming “a star” after a chance meeting during an interview. He then let her cuddle inside his trademark cape, making for a very bizarre combination of musicians. This strange and hilarious meeting happened before the newest Kiss drama in which Stanley says the band was “screwed over and misled” by the executives of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on his Twitter account. Though Stanley did not delve any deeper in his Twitter rant, it is believed his anger was because the band was not put on camera until just before the first chorus of the famed song “Rock and Roll All Nite” and focused on popular bassist Gene Simmons during Tommy Thayer’s guitar solo.
Opera's Renée Fleming Reaches for Broadway's Rendition of 'Living on Love' >>
Perhaps this is what the genre needs: a classical heavyweight like Renée Fleming pivoting from the "specifically European template" of opera and branching into other kinds of performing. This time, Fleming has her eyes on Broadway. An avid fan of all kinds of music, Fleming never pegged herself strictly as an opera singer. In an interview at Little Rock, the singer revealed that she was into all sorts of other genres — even learning Joni Mitchell in her youth. Seemingly hesitant to admit her affinity for anything not opera, she continued her hopes to star on Broadway in a production of "Living on Love," a farce she also performed this past summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts. She also went on to cite that she grew up listening and singing all different styles — everywhere from country-western to performing with a jazz trio. With some guitar skills under her belt, too, Fleming fancied singing troubadours like Joni Mitchell — maybe she has a protest song in her, too.
WATCH: Joyce DiDonato Sings (and Falls) for World Series National Anthem at Royals vs. Giants Game 7 [VIDEO] >>
Finally, Major League Baseball (MLB) recognized mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and her plea to perform at the World Series. A Prairie Village native, those who tuned in watched the singer's dream finally come true in the seventh game of the World Series.
Soprano Renee Fleming Announces 'Christmas in New York' Disc Pre-Order, Release Oct. 14 >>
World-renowned darling soprano Renee Fleming has announced that her latest upcoming release, Christmas in New York, is now available for pre-order.
