Talk:Renée Fleming

Request
somebody PLEASE add more information. I just don't have time. Maybe list the roles she's played and a short biography

Fact error: When I read http://www.evermore.com/azo/c_bios/floyd.php3 I see that Susannah was premiered before Fleming was born! "Floyd completed his opera Susannah, which first premiered at Florida State in 1955 and later at the New York City Opera in 1956." // 213.114.226.208 18:15, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
 * According to the Biography from iClassics included on http://www.renee-fleming.com/ it was not the world premiere of Susannah that is being referred to, but the Lyric Opera of Chicago's first performances, as the article states. So there is no contradiction, only a phrasing that might lead to the misconception you've picked up. JGF Wilks 14:01, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

I understood the sentence to indicate the Chicago Susannah production was Fleming's debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago. "Fleming sang the role of Alaide in Bellini's La straniera in a concert performance by the Opera Orchestra of New York; made her debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in the title role of Rossini's Armida; and debuted with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the title role of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah.[39]" The article it refers to mentions that is the case: "Fleming doesn’t live in Chicago, but her long and deep association with the city, as well as her role as creative consultant to Lyric Opera — where she first appeared in 1993 to star in Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah” — give her standing to make that statement." https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ent-music-chicago-voices-0808-story.html Chicago Lyric's performance library also indicates that the production was a new production and company premiere in October and November of their 1993/1994 season. https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/performance-library/1990-2000-seasons/ User:ASTJLD 04:47, 24 August 2021 (EST) ASTJLD (talk) 20:53, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

Whistle Register
She sings in the whistle register doesn't she? I think I heard her singing Magical Flute thing.

Is it accurate to say she is a jazz singer?

I don't think so, she dabbles in jazz ala kiri te kanawa, but i think she is an opera singer still :) Gareth E Kegg 10:57, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't say she's currently a jazz singer, though I would have called her one before she really went into classical music. As for whistle register -- she has touched a high G in several performances and recordings (live and recorded Lucrezia Borgia, a recorded aria from Mozart's Sogno di Scipione), has recorded a sustained high e-natural (aria from Vespri siciliani / Vepres siciliennes), and has at least attempted it in live performances (she once planned on it and aborted it at the last moment, if my sources are correct). I don't think she currently sings above a high e-flat, or perhaps just high d (performances or recordings). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.137.208.178 (talk) 21:41, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Replacing fair use image
I know that Wikipedia policy favours free images, even if the quality is inferior to fair use ones. However, I'm not sure where to draw the line. If we have a beautiful fair use one and a very respectable free one, of course we use the free one, but if we have a beautiful fair use one and an absolutely appalling free one, I suppose that we'd use the fair use one, assuming that there was a necessity to have a photo in the first place. Many articles can do without images if we can't get free ones.

Several weeks ago, one of my pupils attended a Renée Fleming concert in Germany, and took some photos of Renée on stage. She told me that I could upload them to Wikipedia, releasing them into the public domain. The quality is not good. I'd be interested to hear from people familiar with our image policy as to whether they think it's good enough. If this photo is really so awful as to make fair use more appropriate on this occasion, I'll meekly submit to having it deleted. The original fair use image is here; the free one taken by my pupil is here.

Comments, please? Musical Linguist 01:11, 23 January 2007 (UTC)


 * The "fair use" one lacks copyright holder information and would need to be deleted anyway. The new one needs clarification on whether it is GFDLed or in the public domain -- it cannot be both.  Jkelly 01:32, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorry, the tagging is complicated. (No wonder people are constantly using wrong tags!) I very much doubt if the girl knows the difference between GFDL and public domain. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm completely familiar with it. I've looked briefly at this, and the main difference I see (correct me if I'm missing something) is that under GFDL, you retain the credit for your work. The girl told me that if the quality was good enough, Wikipedia could have it, and that she was happy to release it into the public domain, so that Wikipedia could use it. However, the PD template said not to use that one. I'm not sure if I can use PD-self, since I am not "the creator of this work" (the girl isn't a Wikipedia editor), and I can't use PD-user since she's not on Wikipedia. I could use PD-author, or should I use PD-because? Please advise. (I wouldn't mind e-mailing the girl's e-mail address to the Foundation with her consent, but would not want to post her name here.) Or is the whole thing too much trouble considering it's such a poor image anyway? Musical Linguist 02:03, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
 * PD-author would be the right choice. I don't think it is that bad a shot.  Jkelly 04:16, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Okay, thanks for your patience. I've fixed it now. The fair use one is still in the Crane School of Music article, and I'm sure it shouldn't be, as a picture of someone who studied there is not an essential part of that topic. I think I'll be bold and take it out. Watch out for the calls for my desysopping and the vandal templates on my talk page! Musical Linguist 09:40, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

You've done exactly the right thing. The image should also be listed for deletion as replaceable fair use (subst:rfu) or orphaned fair use (subst:orfud). ed g2s • talk 13:44, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Header needs rewrite
WP:Contemporary Music Member The header is awful - why is her highest note listed in the first paragraph?? Grammar is equally questionable. I'll edit the worst bits out and try to make it a bit more informative. --Wolf m corcoran (talk) 02:46, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm fixing the comma splices and such. I might try to find some better ways of putting things.

Alternative Lead Images
All of these are great pictures. I switched out the lead photo for one of these facing left. I personally prefer an image that faces left when it is positioned right in the article.Plumadesabiduría (talk) 00:53, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
 * It's a standard preference, and I try to shoot to it; I just liked how well you could see her eyes in the first. Unfortunately, the doofus house photographer kept bouncing around in the backdrop, getting in shots, which was pissing a lot of photographers off (myself included, although I wasn't the one who yelled at him).  He can be seen in the first, which is another point against it. But those eyes... -- >David  Shankbone  01:24, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

"Toy Toy Toy"
What's the phrase "Toy Toy Toy" that she uses backstage? Is it her own phrase? Is it something worth mentioning in this article? Ishboyfay (talk) 02:45, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

The phrase is ‘’toi, toi, toi‘’. It's the classical singers′ version of ‘’break a leg‘’. It is a German phrase and refers to a spitting gesture which is supposed to ward off a curse, sort of ptewy ptewy ptewy.

Since it's a general phrase used by all or most opera singers, I don't think it should be mentioned here.

Judychlebek (talk) 21:15, 17 March 2010 (UTC)Judy C

Thanks for that clarification and spelling. Note that the phrase is described on the "Break a Leg" page. Ishboyfay (talk) 22:10, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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I have just modified 3 external links on Renée Fleming. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110930025216/http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-9-17/45983.html to http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-9-17/45983.html
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Disruptive editor on 'Carousel' text
On the disruptive editor Luluplatz, who continues to put irrelevant material connected to Cheryl Studer on the Renée Fleming page, it is worth noting that virtually all of Luluplatz's recent and less recent work, on this page and otherwise, is connected to Cheryl Studer. This reveals one of 3 possible scenarios:
 * * Luluplatz is a friend of Cheryl Studer.
 * * Luluplatz is a relative of Cheryl Studer.
 * * Or, in the most extreme scenario, Luluplatz is Cheryl Studer herself.

Whoever Luluplatz is, that person needs to be aware of this standard disclaimer text regarding editing on wikipedia:


 * "....if you are affiliated with some of the people, places or things you have written about on Wikipedia, you may have a conflict of interest or close connection to the subject.


 * "All editors are required to comply with Wikipedia's neutral point of view content policy. People who are very close to a subject often have a distorted view of it, which may cause them to inadvertently edit in ways that make the article either too flattering or too disparaging. People with a close connection to a subject are not absolutely prohibited from editing about that subject, but they need to be especially careful about ensuring their edits are verified by reliable sources and writing with as little bias as possible."

DJRafe (talk) 22:52, 3 June 2018 (UTC)


 * You, DJRafe, have the gall to suggest that I, Luluplatz, am either family, friend or even the artist herself. Well, none. An acquaintance, yes. For the false suggestion alone you ought to be removed as a Wikipedia gatekeeper. Look, I posted some information about Fleming and Carousel in the interest of correcting her own deliberate ignorance on the subject of the role of Nettie Fowler. If you think that piece shouldn't be on her page, fine by me and I can live with it. But at least it's on the record for anyone interested in finding it. All that said, I don't owe you any justifications for how I choose to participate on Wikipedia or on what topic(s) of personal interest. Are we clear? Luluplatz (talk) 01:00, 7 June 2018 (UTC)