Renee Fleming Discusses Upcoming FOR THE LOVE OF LYRIC Concert and the Impact of the Health Crisis on the Arts Industry

Renee Fleming recently chatted with WTTW about the upcoming concert streaming by Lyric Opera, called "For the Love of Lyric."

Fleming will performing, and she is also the special projects advisor at Lyric.

"There are a wide variety of great, great vocal artists, and we all have this exuberance and this desire to really share our experiences with Lyric Opera with the public, so I'm thrilled," Fleming said.

Fleming said that it has been a difficult adjustment to switch to online performances, rather than having a live audience.

"It's so different to perform without an audience. It's a little bit sad, really," Fleming said. "You don't have the response, you don't have that sense of sharing. Because we're actors, we have to remember what that felt like and know that the audience will be there with us. And maybe even a bigger audience."

Fleming says she's still concerned about the long-term impact the pandemic will have on the industry.

"I expect to be out of work for at least a year. And for young artists, obviously financially it's a tremendous hardship," Fleming said. "And even established artists depend on engagements to further their careers."

Read more and watch the full interview on WTTW.