The very best thing that could happen to a voice, if it shows any promise at all, is when it is very young to leave it alone and to let it develop quite naturally, and to let the person go on as long as possible with the sheer joy of singing.

There has never been a time when I was not committed to, involved in, or caring of, the social and political issues of my world.

I have enjoyed most particularly reading the correspondence between Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. The genuine friendship, competitiveness and support that thread through their communications are life lessons for us all.

I walk an 11-minute mile without huffing and puffing.

I am grateful that my horizons were not narrowed at the outset.

Swan, by Mary Oliver. Poems and prose. Reading from this book is as if visiting a very wise friend. There is wisdom and welcoming kindness on every page.

My arias make me take off as if I were on a trampoline.