Classical Music

Women in Classical Music

If you look at the listings of the major orchestras in America you will see two things in common; very few of them are programming major pieces by women composers, and almost none have a woman on the podium. Despite the abundance of wonderful compositions by women, the world of classical music has been, for centuries, a man’s world.

Renee Fleming - Rochester native and versatile talent

Classical 91.5 WXXO-FM | By Ruth Phinney

Published February 21, 2018 at 4:27 PM EST

American soprano Renee Fleming grew up in Rochester. During her undergraduate studies at the Crane School of Music she sang with a jazz trio. While she was at Crane she decided to do her graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music.

Her first major break came in 1988, when she won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. She performed at the inaugural celebration for President Obama, and in 2014 was the first opera singer to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Here Renee sings It's a Beautiful Day for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert (2012)

This post is part WXXI Classical 91.5’s celebration of Women’s History Month. For more of these stories and other resources, check out Celebrating the Contributions of Women to Classical Music.