The soprano and the banjo virtuoso unite for   Renée Fleming with Béla Fleck: The Fiddle and the Drum, an evening celebrating Appalachian folk traditions featuring My Bluegrass Heart with Aoife O’Donovan

(Los Angeles) May 20, 2026 — LA Opera’s June 20 recital with Renée Fleming at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion has been reimagined as a September 22 collaboration with Béla Fleck at Walt Disney Concert Hall, co-presented with the LA Phil.

Renée Fleming with Béla Fleck: The Fiddle and the Drum expands upon Fleming’s long-standing interest in American vernacular music and cross-genre collaboration. Though best known for her career on the world’s great opera stages, she has long held a deep love for American folk music. Years ago, Fleming and Béla Fleck first discussed the idea of recording an album rooted in the Appalachian tradition. Busy schedules kept the project on the back burner until 2023, when they got together in Nashville to bring their forthcoming album, The Fiddle and the Drum, to life for a May 29 release on Thirty Tigers.

Fleming and Fleck will bring The Fiddle and the Drum to the stage as well, with a series of performances, featuring Fleck’s Grammy-winning My Bluegrass Heart ensemble. The duo made their debut at Nashville’s storied Grand Ole Opry on May 16. Additional appearances include the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, as well as performances at the Chautauqua Institution, with more dates to be announced soon. The run will culminate with a special concert at Carnegie Hall on December 3.

The two prolific Grammy winners join forces in a program inspired by the 250th anniversary of the United States, celebrating the rich musical traditions of Appalachia through mountain songs, haunting ballads, and folk hymns. The Fiddle and the Drum showcases Fleming’s expressive singing and Fleck’s banjo virtuosity, together with Fleck’s all-star ensemble, My Bluegrass Heart, and joined by Grammy-winning vocalist Aoife O’Donovan.

Click here for the event page on the LA Phil website.

About Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming, a 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree and five-time Grammy winner, is one of the most celebrated singers of our time. Awarded the US National Medal of Arts by President Obama, she performs at the world’s leading opera houses and concert halls, and has sung for historic events from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. Renée has appeared frequently at LA Opera, where she serves as Advisor for Special Projects. She has become a leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, presenting her live program Music and Mind in more than 75 cities around the world.

About Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck has redefined the banjo over a five-decade career, blending bluegrass, jazz, classical, and global music into a singular musical voice. A 19-time Grammy Award winner, he has earned worldwide acclaim for his innovative performances with The Flecktones, collaborations with other top artists, and his boundary-pushing explorations of the instrument’s possibilities.

Click here to download artist headshots.

Performance Date, Time and Address
The performance will take place on September 22, 2026, at 8pm at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, located at 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Tickets
LA Opera patrons holding tickets for the originally scheduled June 20 recital will be contacted regarding reseating or refund options.

Tickets for the September 22 performance will go on sale to LA Opera and LA Phil patrons on June 10, and to the general public on June 11. Tickets will be available in person at the LA Phil box office (111 South Grand Avenue) or online at LAPhil.com.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects department offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reach people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

About the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel (through August 2026), the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered across four historic venues—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, The Ford and Beckmen YOLA Center—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today. Learn more at LAPhil.com.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

LA Phil Media Contact
Leah Price
Director, Public Relations
leah.price@laphil.org
213.972.3034

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.