Nobody inspired me more than Julie Andrews, who is a classically trained soprano herself.

The musical heritage of Yorkshire is deep and wide.

That was when I realised that music is the most profound, magical form of communication there is.

It worries me that young singers think you can shortcut the training and go straight to fame and fortune, and programmes like Pop Idol have encouraged that.

One of the problems that we face through the media attention that these artists receive is that there has been an awful lot of talk about opera and classical music being elite and being for an elitist group.

I'm very pro presenting the best music I can to the widest audience possible.

There are a lot of unseen elements to having a successful singing career.