One of opera\u2019s brightest stars shone her light on a few Harvard student singers and a group of fans at Paine Hall on Tuesday (Feb. 9).<\/p>\n
Renowned soprano Ren\u00e9e Fleming<\/a> gave an informative and entertaining master class for four Harvard undergraduates who performed Italian, American, and French arias for the down-to-earth diva. Displaying her humor and charm, Fleming offered the young performers equal amounts of praise and practical advice on developing their vocal range and technique.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to have a fun time together,\u201d Fleming told the singers, their undergraduate accompanists, and a standing-room-only crowd, in an event sponsored by the Office for the Arts <\/a>at Harvard\u2019s Learning From Performers<\/a> program and the Harvard University Department of Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t disappoint, revealing her good nature and engaging style with amusing anecdotes about everything from a jaw condition that once forced her to sing a performance with her mouth almost shut, to opera\u2019s notoriously tragic repertoire.<\/p>\n \u201cI made the mistake of singing one happy-ending piece at the Met, and I got complaints,\u201d she recalled with a laugh. \u201cThey were so disappointed that it ended well.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleming challenged Sofia Selowsky \u201912, a mezzo-soprano with a deep register, to explore her voice\u2019s higher range while working on \u201cCruda Sorte,\u201d from \u201cL\u2019Italiana in Algeri\u201d by Gioachino Rossini. Hesitant, Selowsky obliged, ending her session on a high note that drew loud applause.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was really lovely,\u201d chimed Fleming, adding, \u201cYou\u2019ve got this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, no one told you this is hard,\u201d Fleming remarked to Bridget Haile \u201911 after her performance of \u201cThe Trees on the Mountain\u201d from the opera \u201cSusannah\u201d by American composer Carlisle Floyd. The soprano complimented Haile on her poise and comfort with the song, and encouraged her to work on her interpretation of the piece, and to feel the \u201cpassion, anger, and despair\u201d of the character.<\/p>\n Working largely on breath support and technique, Fleming took each of the singers through a variety of exercises, occasionally coaxing them into comical positions that yielded solid results. She made Haile hold her own nose to help her to reach a high note, and she placed Michael Cherella \u201911 up against the wall to help him to align his body, keep his head up, and develop resonance while singing \u201cEn Fermant les Yeux,\u201d from the opera \u201cManon\u201d by Jules Massenet.<\/p>\n Later, she encouraged the singers, on their own time, to try singing while lying down.<\/p>\n Fleming even involved audience members, making them inhale during one exercise and then release their breath in one long, sustained hiss, briefly transforming the space into a giant snake pit.<\/p>\n Music was in the genes of the Pennsylvania native who grew up in Rochester, N.Y., surrounded by singing. The daughter of two voice teachers, Fleming considered a career in music teaching as well while at the State University of New York, Potsdam<\/a>, before going on to study at Rochester\u2019s Eastman School of Music<\/a> and Juilliard\u2019s American Opera Center<\/a> in the 1980s, launching her professional career.<\/p>\n Known as the \u201cthe people\u2019s diva\u201d for her charisma and easygoing persona, Fleming debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 as the Countess Almaviva in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\u2019s \u201cThe Marriage of Figaro,\u201d a part considered today by many to be her signature role. A multiple Grammy winner, she has performed at famed opera houses worldwide and is known for both her vocal lyricism and dramatic flair.<\/p>\n She also regularly hosts the Metropolitan Opera<\/a>\u2019s \u201cLive in HD\u201d broadcasts, taking viewers on intimate, behind-the-scenes tours of productions and introducing the stars of the shows while they take a break between acts.<\/p>\n Fleming\u2019s voice, a full, lyric soprano with a range of rich sound, delighted the crowd as she worked with the aspiring singers. There was a collective gasp from the audience each time she opened her mouth to sing the pitch she was looking for or the phrasing of a particular line.<\/p>\n In his 2006 memoir, Joseph Volpe, former general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, wrote that listening to Fleming was like \u201cwatching a bird in flight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched the most brilliant American singing career of my time grow opera by opera,\u201d penned Volpe, who led the company from 1990 to 2006.<\/p>\n The soprano\u2019s visit was part of Harvard\u2019s Learning From Performers series. The annual program, created in 1975 by the Office for the Arts, hosts 15 to 20 artists involved in music, dance, theater, film, television, visual arts, and interdisciplinary arts. The visiting artists interact with undergraduates through lectures, seminars, master classes, workshops, and residencies.<\/p>\n The event attracted a diverse audience: music students and musicians, admirers and fans old and young who packed the theater. Even a collection of visual artists \u2014 a three-dimensional design class from the Massachusetts College of Art<\/a> \u2014 was on hand. Their teacher, Taylor Davis, a former visiting faculty member at Harvard\u2019s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts<\/a>, brought her freshman students to the class to help them \u201csee detail with more clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleming stayed well past the two-hour mark to make sure she answered all questions from the audience.<\/p>\n