Soprano Renee Fleming To Give Her First NYC Master Class on Tuesday, October 20 at Juilliard

From Julliard press release--
Soprano Renée Fleming returns to her alma mater to give her first master class in NYC on Tuesday, October 20 from 6 - 7:30 PM at Juilliard. Ms. Fleming rarely gives master classes and this special event is a benefit for Juilliard. The master class features performances by students from Juilliard's Vocal Arts Department and also marks the dedication of the School's Peter Jay Sharp Theater (155 West 65^th Street). Renovations to the theater have now been completed, and this will be the first opportunity to dedicate the space and thank The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation for their generous support.

Benefit tickets are available at $500 (priority seating and a post-event reception with Ms. Fleming) and $125 (priority seating). For information on benefit tickets, please call (212) 799-5000, ext. 329. A very limited number of popularly-priced tickets will be available beginning October 6 at the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard (155 West 65^th Street). For further information, go to www.juilliard.edu.

Renowned soprano and Juilliard alumna Renée Fleming charms audiences throughout the world with her vocal intelligence, musical grace, and liquid voice. Her superb artistry has garnered praise and worldwide respect for her operatic and recital performances, and her best-selling recordings. Ms. Fleming performs on opening night of the New York Philharmonic with conductor Alan Gilbert (also a Juilliard alumnus) on September 16, 2009. She returns to the Met Opera in October 2009 in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and again in January 2010 in the same work. In April and May 2010, she appears in Rossini's Armida at the Met (a Met premiere). In the past few seasons, Ms. Fleming has begun hosting broadcasts, including the Met's HD series for movie theaters as well as television, and Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. A two-time Grammy winner, Ms. Fleming's most recent CD, Strauss: Four Last Songs, conducted by Christian Thieleman, was released in fall 2008. She received an honorary doctor of music degree from Juilliard in 2003 and was commencement speaker at that ceremony.

Juilliard's Vocal Arts Department has a busy 2009-2010 season. Juilliard Opera presents Handel's Ariodante on November 11, 13, and 15; a concert version of Copland's The Tender Land on January 30; Conrad Susa's Transformations on February 15, 17, and 19; and Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites on April 21, 23, and 25. On Thursday, November 19, soprano Susanna Phillips makes her Alice Tully debut as recipient of Juilliard's annual Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital. Juilliard and the New York Festival of Song, with artistic director and Juilliard faculty member, Steven Blier, co-present Killer B's: A History of American Song from Amy Beach to the Beach Boys on Wednesday, January 13. Juilliard's annual Vocal Arts Honors Recital takes place on Thursday, March 18. In addition, Juilliard's Liederabend and Songbook series, which showcase singers from the Department in performances of song literature, take place throughout the year. For further information on these events, please call (212) 769-7406 or visit www.juilliard.edu.

About Juilliard Vocal Arts

One of America's most prestigious programs for educating singers, Juilliard's Department of Vocal Arts offers young artists programs tailored to their talents and needs. From bachelor and master of music degrees to advanced artist diploma programs in voice and opera studies, Juilliard provides frequent performance opportunities, featuring singers in its own recital halls, on Lincoln Center's stages, and around New York City. Juilliard's opera department has presented numerous premieres of new operas, as well as works from the standard repertoire.

Juilliard graduates may be heard in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world; diverse alumni artists include well-known performers, such as John Aler, Faith Esham, Simon Estes, Renée Fleming, Anthony Dean Griffey, Barbara Hendricks, Hei-Kyung Hong, Audra McDonald, Leontyne Price, Florence Quivar, Neil Rosenshein, Rose Stevens, Tatiana Troyanos, Shirley Verrett, and Robert White, among many others.

In 2010-2011, Juilliard begins its new collaborative education program with the Metropolitan Opera to identify and train the finest young opera singers and accompanists, preparing them for careers in the world's great opera houses. Met Music Director, James Levine, will serve as the program's Artistic Director, and Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of Juilliard Vocal Arts, will serve as Executive Director.