Soprano Renée Fleming is the Creative Force Behind 'American Voices' and Opera 'Bel Canto'

Renée Fleming has steadily been making a name for herself, not just as America's leading soprano, but through a number of creative projects she has spearheaded.

Fleming seems to be everywhere. Last weekend, her "American Voices" festival debuted at the Kennedy Center. This was a festival entirely devoted to the voice and vocal music: pop, country, jazz, Broadway and gospel, as well as classical.

Fleming's star power attracted some of the biggest names in jazz and popular music to the three-day festival. Many of these stars gave master classes to aspiring singers: jazz singer Dianne Reeves, singer-songwriter Ben Folds, country/bluegrass star Alison Krauss and Broadway artist Sutton Foster.

Fleming was everywhere, moderating most of the panel discussions and performing at the festival's big concert on Saturday evening. She shared the stage with the other big-name performers, giving the audience a chance to hear the stars practice what they had preached during their master classes and panel discussions.

Fleming also dreamed up The Second City Guide to the Opera, a collaboration between Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Second City comedy troupe. This imaginative production attracted audiences who don't normally attend opera. The show recently won a Jeff Award, Lyric Opera's first ever. And it proved that Fleming's position as Lyric Opera's Creative Consultant is not just honorary.

Fleming was also the driving force behind the operatic adaptation of Ann Patchett's bestselling novel Bel Canto, to be premiered by Lyric Opera during the 2015-16 season. The novel is about a world-famous soprano and a group of dignitaries who are held hostage by terrorists at a society event in an unnamed South American country. Fleming and her Lyric Opera team secured the services of Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez to write the music--Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz will adapt Patchett's novel into a libretto.

With all these creative projects, it's hard to believe Fleming finds time for a busy international singing career. But we at Classicalite look forward to the diva's next imaginative idea for introducing opera to new audiences.