Renée Fleming was born in 1959 and trained at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the Juilliard School, furthering her studies in Europe on a 1985 Fulbright Scholarship. She signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca in 1996 and became one of the most prominent operatic sopranos of her era, known especially for her performances in Strauss, Mozart, and Dvořák.

Fleming was the first woman to solo headline the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night in the company’s 125-year history (2008), has won five Grammy Awards from eighteen nominations, and was the first classical singer to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl. She received the National Medal of Arts and was a 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, and has contributed to film soundtracks including The Shape of Water and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Fleming