Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck Announce Collaborative Album After Canceling Kennedy Center Concerts

Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming and banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck are two of the numerous artists who have pulled out of concerts at Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center. Now, they have announced a collaborative album, titled The Fiddle and the Drum, out May 29th via Thirty Tigers, and released the Dolly Parton-featuring “In the Pines” as a first preview. Stream it below.

The Fiddle and the Drum is described as drawing from a “deep well of America’s musical heritage,” including mountain songs, haunting ballads, and folk hymns. Recorded in Nashville, the 10-track project pairs Fleming’s vocals and Fleck’s banjo with a guest list of bluegrass musicians featuring Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Sierra Hull, and Sarah Jarosz.

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“In the Pines” is based on a traditional Appalachian melody dating back to the 1870s, which Parton grew up singing in the Smoky Mountains. She previously performed it on her 1970s TV show and released her own version on 1994’s Heartsongs: Live from Home.

“I love that I get to do it again, this time as a duet with Renée Fleming,” Parton said in a statement. Fleming added, “It was a dream to have the incomparable Dolly Parton sing on the album… her artistry and goodness come through in every beautiful note. It’s the same spirit that drives her constant, creative philanthropy. Pure music, heart, generosity, and authenticity — all in the same remarkable person.”

Fleming and Fleck have lined up a series of performances in support of The Fiddle and the Drum, beginning on May 16th at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. They will also appear at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Spoleto Festival before wrapping up the run on December 3rd at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Grab your seats here.

In January, both artists canceled gigs at the Kennedy Center performing with the National Symphony Orchestra. This came after Fleming departed her role as Artistic Advisor-at-Large in 2025, following the Trump-led shakeups at the Kennedy Center.

While making his announcement, Fleck said performing at the Kennedy Center has become “charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music,” and stated he hoped to return when “we can together share and celebrate art.”

Since then, Trump has announced he will be closing the Kennedy Center for two years beginning on July 4th, citing so-called renovations rather than the artist boycott or lackluster ticket sales.

The Fiddle and the Drum Artwork:

The Fiddle and the Drum Tracklist:
01. He’s Gone Away / Storms Are on the Ocean
02. In the Pines (feat. Dolly Parton)
03. The Fiddle and the Drum (feat. Jerry Douglas)
04. My Epitaph
05. The Scarlet Tide (feat. Vince Gill)
06. The Cuckoo (feat. Jerry Douglas)
07. Blackest Crow (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)
08. Scarlet Ribbons
09. he’s gone away (reprise)
10. Pretty Bird (feat. Sierra Hull & Sarah Jarosz)

Renée Fleming 2026 Tour Dates:
03/26 – Symphony Hall @ Boston, MA
03/27 – Symphony Hall @ Boston, MA
03/28 – Symphony Hall @ Boston, MA
03/30 – Palm Beach, FL @ Glazer Hall
04/09 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall
04/17 – Lawrence, KS @ Lied Center
04/21 – Akron, OH @ EJ Thomas Hall
04/24 – New Albany, OH @ McCoy Center for the Arts
05/03 – Berkeley, CA @ Zellerbach Hall
05/16 – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry *
05/20 – Nashville, TN @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center
05/23 – Charleston, SC @ Spoleto Festival *
05/27 – Bethesda, MD @ Strathmore Music Center
06/07 – Honolulu, HI @ Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall
06/19 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Bluegrass Festival *
08/20 – Chautauqua, NY @ Chautauqua Institution *
08/21 – Chautauqua, NY @ Chautauqua Institution *
08/22 – Chautauqua, NY @ Chautauqua Institution *
12/03 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall *

* = w/ Béla Fleck