Whether they’re aware of it or not, even non–classical music fans know about Renée Fleming. Ever the people’s soprano, she’s been on Sesame Street, was featured in The Lord of the Rings, made albums with Joe Jackson and Brad Mehldau, and sang at the Lincoln Memorial Inaugural Celebration earlier this year. Classical music fans, of course, know her for her silvery, easy operatic voice, which she brings this week to Napa’s Festival del Sole. Fleming was forced to cancel her appearance in Napa three years ago due to last-minute sickness, an unfortunate situation with one silver lining: this year she’ll be singing in the outdoor courtyard at Castello di Amarosa. The castle’s Old World atmosphere is as calming as it is intimate (at last year’s festival, Joshua Bell casually mingled with fans among the masonry), and should be the perfect place to hear one of the finest voices in the world on Thursday, July 23, at Castello di Amarosa. 4045 N. St. Helena Hwy., Calistoga. 6:30pm. $125. 888.337.6272.Gabe Meline
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