SPOTLIGHT: Renée Fleming

Fresh off her win for Best Classical Vocal Performance at this year’s Grammy awards, Renée Fleming arrives today at Harvard to coach four undergraduates chosen by the Office for the Arts in a master class open to the public. While these students might be understandably nervous singing before America’s premier soprano, they have no reason to be. Fleming is as beloved for her warmth of manner and golden personality as for her voice. After her visit to Harvard, she will perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from February 11 to February 13 at Boston Symphony Hall.

The Harvard Crimson: You are often hailed as the American opera singer of our time, an American musical statesman. What do you think of this role?

Renée Fleming: I love that. As an American, I’m not pigeonholed into a specific repertoire. I’m allowed to sing in any language. Ninety percent of the time, I’m singing in 8-10 foreign languages. It’s very fun as an American to be able to display this eclecticism that we have.

THC: Do you listen to opera at home?

RF: When I listen to classical music, it draws my whole attention. So I’m very careful not to do that unless I’m working on something because I just find it too distracting.

THC: Soon the Academy Awards will take place, and these actors will be admired the world over and their gowns and coiffures scrutinized in every entertainment magazine. Do you ever wish that opera had as much mainstream appeal as film or pop music?

RF: It’s coming along. What I would like to see happen is for opera not to become less popular than it is, for us not to lose ground, to lose audience members. One thing that has helped enormously with that are the HD simulcasts [from the Metropolitan Opera in New York].

THC: You’re admired not only for your singing, but for your acting abilities. Would you ever consider taking a role in something purely dramatic?

RF: I would love to do that; it would be a lot of fun. It’s funny—in opera, the pitches are dictated, the timing is dictated, the composer has written everything down. And I memorize everything through the music. So it would be very interesting to see what would work. Would my speaking voice sound funny? Would I be able to manage the timing? It would be an interesting challenge.

THC: Do you find that when singing opera you lose yourself in your characters, that their worries become yours, that their amours burn hot in your own heart?

RF: Oh yes, that’s what acting is, in a way. I prefer the singers who seem to forget that they’re singing. It’s very important. There’s a layering process. I feel sympathy for the person that I’m portraying, and I become her. But then I also substitute whatever their raw emotion is with my own experiences.

THC: What was it like to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel at President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Celebration concert?

RF: That was really thrilling. It was a moment where I thought, “Everything has come together.” I knew the piece well. I love singing it. And it was an incredible honor to be a part of this historic event.

THC: How do you approach teaching the younger generation in a master class setting?

RF: I try to be very direct and honest about what I hear and, at the same time, encouraging. It takes a lot of courage to get up and sing in a master class because you’re basically allowing yourself to be publicly criticized. I want people to feel comfortable, I want to be helpful without getting people too confused.

THC: What about your visit are you most looking forward to?

RF: I’m really interested in seeing what students at Harvard bring to music and to see how an education of that quality informs how someone performs. It’s not lost on me that Yo-Yo Ma went to Harvard, developed, and became Yo-Yo Ma.

Renée Fleming’s master class will take place in Paine Hall today at 3 PM. Admission is free and open to the public.