Distinguished Speaker: The Incomparable Renee Fleming

Renée Fleming presents “Music and the Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness,” a discussion of how music, dance, and coordinated movement can soothe, comfort, and connect people while supporting health and well-being across cultures, religions, and races. The program is open to the public and includes a beer and wine open bar, Fleming’s presentation, and a book signing and reception.

Fleming will discuss the ideas explored in her anthology, *Music and Mind*, which examines music’s role in life, from biological evolution to mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She will sign copies of books brought by attendees, but books will not be sold at the event.

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2026, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Schedule: Beer and wine open bar at 6:30 p.m.; program at 7:00 p.m.; book signing and reception with Renée Fleming at 7:45 p.m.

Tickets: Arts Club members and guests pay $30 per person; non-members pay $40. The $30 member fee is charged to the member’s account.

Registration: The event is open to the public. Guests must be registered. The page lists 45 spaces remaining and 35 registrants.

Featured speaker: Soprano Renée Fleming is an internationally acclaimed opera and concert singer who has performed at major venues worldwide. Her honors include five Grammy Awards, the U.S. National Medal of Arts, the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, honorary membership in England’s Royal Academy of Music, and the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors. She has performed for occasions including the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Concert, and in 2014 became the first classical artist to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.

Arts and health work: Fleming is a leading advocate for research into music, creativity, health, and neuroscience. She was appointed a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health in May 2023 and has received a Research!America award for her impact on public opinion. In 2024, she established the Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards with the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and the Aspen Institute. The annual grants support interdisciplinary research by early-career scientists working with arts practitioners. Her anthology, *Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness*, was published by Penguin Random House in April 2024. She became an inaugural member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Arts and Culture Council in January 2025 and has presented “Music and the Mind” in more than 50 cities worldwide.

Venue: Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Series: The event is part of the Distinguished Speakers in Classical Music Series, a project of the Classical Music Committee of the Arts Club of Washington.

Support: The series is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.