In a sense, it's less about seeing how high up I can vault than about seeing how deeply I can explore my potential...Ambition for me is about the willingness to work, the ability to mine my own soul fearlessly.

The reason that some singers go on to become great artists has very little to do with their voices, but rather with the fact that they have used their instruments as tools for detailed communication.

I'm not a reactionary.

I think opera has gained a kind of glamorous appeal. It's a live performance that aligns all of the arts, and when it is represented in the media, in film in particular, it is presented as something that is really a special event, whether it's a great date or something that's just hugely romantic.

My worry is that opera will become an historic art form as opposed to a living, breathing thing.

I have a certain image that's more classic, and I'm happy to stay out of the fray.

Because everything about the voice interests me, I felt it would be fascinating to learn a completely different style of singing.