Tiny Desk concert bringing together soprano Renée Fleming and banjo player Béla Fleck, filmed for NPR Music at the radio’s offices in Washington, in 2026. It is the meeting of two artists known for their curiosity and their taste for crossing boundaries. Renée Fleming, one of the greatest sopranos of her generation, has ventured well beyond opera, from the Super Bowl to Broadway. Béla Fleck, an eighteen-time Grammy winner, has redefined the role of the banjo across bluegrass, newgrass, jazz and Indian classical music. Together they perform old Appalachian folk songs, in a spare arrangement that showcases Fleming’s lyrical timbre and Fleck’s virtuoso playing. They are surrounded by a leading cast of bluegrass musicians, including mandolinist and singer Sierra Hull, bassist Mark Schatz, guitarist Jake Stargel and fiddler Michael Cleveland. For fans of classical vocal music and genre crossovers, this filmed live offers a moment of rare delicacy, at the border of classical, folk and American tradition.
Personnel & credits
- Renée Fleming — chant (soprano)
- Béla Fleck — banjo
- Sierra Hull — mandoline, chant
- Mark Schatz — contrebasse
- Jake Stargel — guitare
- Michael Cleveland — violon
