I'd really been interested in opera when I was about 16, and I really like staging them.

There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that.

Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.

The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.

When I was 24 I went to Nigeria and it was such a culture shock, growing up in Australia and suddenly being the only white man in this unit full of black men.

Quite a few operas are still being commissioned around the world, although nothing apart from audience popularity can ensure more than a few performances.

In my view, the operas of Carlisle Floyd will find a place in the permanent repertoire.