Opera icon Renée Fleming steps into uncharted territory this summer, making her highly anticipated directing debut with Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Colorado’s Aspen Festival. Running July 21-26 at Wheeler Opera House, Fleming’s production transports the 18th-century tale of romantic entanglements to a 1980s Massachusetts high school, blending World Wide Wrestling culture and Jane Fonda-inspired aerobics into Mozart’s timeless score.
Fleming revealed her audacious vision during Wednesday’s announcement:
It's supposed to be royalty or aristocracy. I’m putting this more in high school, 1980, Yarmouth, Massachusetts.The radical reinterpretation marks the latest evolution for the 66-year-old soprano, who retired from staged repertoire performances in 2017 but remains a driving force in opera innovation.
Key elements shaping Fleming’s debut include:
- Collaboration with Patrick Summers, her co-artistic director at Aspen Opera Theater since 2019
- A student-driven cast mentored by industry veterans
- Resurrected concepts from her canceled 2021 Kennedy Center production
The directorial venture comes during a transitional phase for Fleming, who recently resigned as Kennedy Center artistic adviser following leadership changes. Summers praised her multidimensional talents:
She is such a polymath - few in opera match her intelligence and generosity.
Festival programming reveals broader artistic ambitions, pairing Fleming’s Così fan tutte with the August 2 premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ gender-fluid adaptation Siddhartha, She. With music director Robert Spano conducting both productions, the 2024 season underscores Aspen’s commitment to redefining classical narratives.
Opera enthusiasts can expect Fleming’s signature attention to emotional authenticity, now channeled through period-specific teen dynamics. This directing debut not only revives Mozart’s work but positions the Aspen Festival as a crucible for operatic reinvention, blending student energy with Fleming’s decades of interpretive expertise.
