We sing with the entire body. The sounds that we make emanate not just from the head, but from the whole heart and soul, and, most important, the gut.

There's no performance where I never have to think about setting up a phrase or making a technical adjustment while I'm performing.

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

Perfection often creates such a flawless surface that there's no place for the audience to enter into a piece, while the idiosyncrasies of individual style are like windows into the singer's heart.

Every singer eventually gets around to a Christmas disc.

I have not changed with the accomplishments. I've remained the same. If I had changed, great. You know, but I haven't.

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.