Two of American opera’s most prominent stars are aligning with the Aspen Music School and Festival to start a program to develop and foster a resurgence among young opera singers and pianists.
Renee Fleming, who had her first performance years ago at the Wheeler Opera House on her way to becoming one of the world’s top soprano voices, will reunite with renowned conductor Patrick Summers to host an Aspen Music School summer program starting next year, according to an announcement Monday from the Music School.
The new, eight-week program called the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS will train high-level young singers and vocal collaborative pianists for a career in opera and concertizing, the Music School said in its announcement.
They will be joined by the Aspen Opera Center’s longtime leader Edward Berkeley, who will continue as the stage director for the program, which will host two operas during the students’ time here. Berkeley and Fleming worked together in Aspen in their early years, so getting them together was a great fit, Aspen Music School and Festival president and CEO Alan Feltcher said Monday.
“The collective wisdom, experience, savvy and sheer brilliance among the two of them, and their assembled team, including Ed, will offer an unparalleled educational experience to young singers pursuing a career in opera,” Fletcher said in the news release, “and the combination of intensive education and mentorship with professional performance captures the very essence of our Aspen program.”
Fletcher, who has been “lifelong friends” with Fleming, said in a phone interview that talks started about three years ago on developing a new program, and her background here helped seal the idea.
Fleming, who is performing this week with the Santa Fe Opera and was not available Monday, said in the release she feels fortunate to give back to the place where she learned.
“At the start of my career, I was incredibly fortunate to be trained at the Aspen Music Festival and School,” Fleming said. “I feel just as lucky to have the chance to return to this beautiful place and share all I’ve learned in the intervening years with the best emerging talent in opera.”
She and Summers, who is currently the artistic and music director of Houston Grand Opera, have performed in some of the country’s great opera houses, from the Met to San Francisco, Houston and Lyric Opera of Chicago. They’ve been together on concert stages from Carnegie Hall to the Châtelet in Paris.
The new program will host 14 students, and auditions will be held around the country, Fletcher said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.