I cannot imagine a more satisfying calling than my own: beauty, humanity, and history every day, combined with the cathartic joy of singing.

I was constantly being pushed toward a European ideal of what it means to be a classical or opera singer, let's say in the Renata Tebaldi mode. I reject that.

I have had a very difficult time with stage fright; it undermines your well-being and peace of mind, and it can also threaten your livelihood.

For my own singing, I used to be attracted by the baroque, the flashier the better, but now I prefer a simpler, purer style.

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.

No voice teacher can be all things to all people. You have to gain information from whatever sources you can. You have to listen.

In a way, being an opera singer is like being a very romantic sixteen-year-old who falls in love with great passion and conviction every month.