Soprano Renée Fleming To Return For A Sixth Year To Lead SongStudio

From January 22–27, 2024, renowned soprano Renée Fleming will mentor eight aspiring young singers and eight collaborative pianists from around the world in the sixth year of SongStudio, an innovative program exploring the future of the vocal recital. The annual intensive workshop—hosted by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI)—brings emerging vocalists and pianists together with leading artists and coaches for a week of instruction and performance at Carnegie Hall.

Led by Ms. Fleming at Carnegie Hall since 2019, SongStudio is designed to refresh the presentation and experience of the vocal recital, supporting the highest standards of performance while inviting new and familiar audiences to engage with this ever-evolving art form. For the first time, the climactic “Young Artists Recital” will be presented using the Center Stage configuration of Zankel Hall on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m. Baritone Will Liverman—who has won wide acclaim on both the operatic and recital stage, and as a composer and curator of new work—will serve as Creative Advisor for the first time. Liverman will consult with the participants on presentation concepts and staging approaches for their unique recital in Zankel Hall.

The 2024 edition of Song Studio will feature leading vocalists, collaborative pianists, and other artists lending their insights and expertise. On Monday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m., pianist Graham Johnson, widely regarded as one of the world's leading vocal accompanists, kicks off the week with a public master class. The following day, Tuesday, January 23 at 6:00 p.m., acclaimed tenor Nicholas Phan joins to aid the musicians in honing their craft, and on Wednesday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m., Richard Tucker Prize-winning soprano Angel Blue lends her expert insight in a public master class. Ms. Fleming closes out the public master classes on Friday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m.

The program has become an eagerly awaited annual series for lovers of classical song. Tickets for the public master classes in Carnegie Hall's Resnick Education Wing and the culminating Young Artists Recital in Zankel Hall Center Stage are now on sale.

All participating singers and pianists will receive two-on-one private lessons and coaching throughout the week with Ms. Fleming and learn from teachers, coaches, and collaborative pianists including Javier Arrebola, SongStudio Artistic Associate; Hartmut Höll, professor at the Karlsruhe University of Music in Germany; and Myra Huang, Head of Music at the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development program.

Following a rigorous audition process open to talented young singers and collaborative pianists from around the world, 16 artists have been selected to participate, with singers and pianists paired by faculty. The 2024 SongStudio program includes artists from China, Finland, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States.

Participating artists:

Khayakazi Madlala, Soprano
Natalie Sherer, Piano

Gabrielle Barkidjija, Mezzo-Soprano
Anni Laukkanen, Piano

Ruby Dibble, Mezzo-Soprano
Tzu Kuang Tan, Piano

Chuanyuan Liu, Countertenor
Ye In Kwak, Piano

Edmond Rodriguez, Tenor
Daniel Peter Silcock, Piano

Felix Gygli, Baritone
Aleksandra Myslek, Piano

Gabriel Rollinson, Baritone
Yuriko Watanabe, Piano

Florian Störtz, Bass-Baritone
Jeong-Eun Lee, Piano

Artists on the rise are given valuable access to world-class performers and composers through free workshops and master classes for young professional musicians (ages 18–35), created by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI). Participants are selected after responding to an open call for auditions. SongStudio builds on the legacy of supporting young vocalists that renowned soprano Marilyn Horne sustained over two decades through her series, The Song Continues.
 

Program Information
 

Monday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
SONGSTUDIO: GRAHAM JOHNSON MASTER CLASS

Experience a SongStudio master class and performance, in which rising vocalists and collaborative pianists come together under the guidance of pianist OBE Graham Johnson– widely regarded as one of the world's leading vocal accompanists.

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Tuesday, January 23 at 6:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
SONGSTUDIO: SONGSTUDIO: NICHOLAS PHAN MASTER CLASS

Observe an intimate master class led by Nicholas Phan, an exceptional lyric tenor who, since 2018, has been thrice nominated for a Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Grammy.

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Wednesday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
SONGSTUDIO: ANGEL BLUE MASTER CLASS

Enjoy an intimate SongStudio master class, and hear a new generation of great singers hone their craft Angel Blue–one of today's hottest opera singers and a recent recipient of great acclaim at both Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera.

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Friday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
SONGSTUDIO: RENÉE FLEMING MASTER CLASS

Experience an intimate vocal-recital master class led by the great Renée Fleming–"America's soprano of choice" (The New York Times). Under her world-class leadership, rising vocalists and pianists will hone their craft, gaining new insight into timeless song repertoire and performance technique, while audiences enjoy a unique inside look at the art of the vocal recital.

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Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall Center Stage
SONGSTUDIO: YOUNG ARTISTS RECITAL

Renée Fleming hosts a recital that features gifted vocalists and pianists who have trained with her throughout the intensive SongStudio workshop. Designed to renew and refresh the vocal recital experience, SongStudio invites new and familiar audiences to engage with the time-honored, evolving art form.

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About the Artist
Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world's great opera houses and concert halls. Honored with five Grammy awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. In May, Renée Fleming was named a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization, and in December received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor.

Renée's current concert calendar includes appearances in Paris, Milan, Vienna, and at Carnegie Hall. Her current recital and concert program, Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene, inspired by her 2023 Grammy Award-winning album of the same name, includes an original film created by the National Geographic Society, featuring footage captured from Cape Horn to the Arctic Circle. Recent opera performances include starring in the world premiere staging of The Hours, a new opera based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and award-winning film, at the Metropolitan Opera, and a role debut as Pat Nixon in a new production of Nixon in China at the Opéra de Paris.

In January, Decca released a special double-length album of live recordings from Renée's iconic performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Renée Fleming: Greatest Moments at the Met. Renée has recorded everything from complete operas and song recitals to indie rock and jazz. She earned a Tony award nomination for her performance in Carousel on Broadway, and her voice is featured in two Best Picture Oscar-winning films.

A leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, Renée Fleming launched the first ongoing collaboration between The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the US National Institutes of Health. She has presented her program Music and the Mind in more than 50 cities around the world.

In addition to directing SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, Renée is Co-Artistic Director of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Advisor for Special Projects at the Los Angeles Opera. Other awards include the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and the Order of Merit from Germany. She holds honorary doctorates from eight leading universities. www.reneefleming.com
 

About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall's commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall's mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world's greatest artists, WMI's programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow's musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall's concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music.

More than 800,000 people each year engage in WMI's programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes more than 155 orchestras, music presenters, and education organizations in 40 states as well as internationally in 27 countries on 6 continents. WMI's hands-on programs tap into the creativity of audiences of all ages, inviting them to make their own music in all genres, express their viewpoints, and raise their voices. WMI shares an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, families, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. As a leader in music education, WMI generates new knowledge through original research, which inform Carnegie Hall's own programs and are also available as a resource to artists, organizations, and peers.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/education  
 

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Support for SongStudio is provided by the Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.

SongStudio is part of the Marilyn Horne legacy at Carnegie Hall.

Lead support for workshops and master classes is provided by Beatrice Santo Domingo.

 

Ticket Information

Tickets, priced at $20, for SongStudio master classes held in Carnegie Hall's Resnick Education Wing can be purchased exclusively by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. Tickets for master classes are not available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office.

Tickets, priced at $20, for the January 27 performance in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, dates, and prices are subject to change.

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