I've spent hours and hours doing research into Appalachian folk music. My grandfather was a fiddler. There is something very immediate, very simple and emotional, about that music.

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.

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.

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

For years, I had no time for exploratory travel.