Renee Fleming

“When a human being without amplification makes a sound that is high and loud, it is almost unworldly.”

“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.”

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

“At this stage in my career, I don't have to take any big risks. You want to take a calculated risk, not one that leads to people saying 'yes, but there was that one time when she made that b...”

“One of my timesaving habits is to save all of my magazines and junk mail for airplane trips. I walk on the plane with a very heavy bundle, but by the time the trip is over, it can all be thr...”

“Well, any time I'm preparing for a performance or even a rehearsal, it's as if in a way, like any other athletes, these are muscles that support the vocal cords which are just I believe cart...”

“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.”

“My parents discussed singing every night over the dinner table; I had a tremendous music education.”

“Every singer eventually gets around to a Christmas disc.”

“Some of my first teachers were incredibly tough. You could never sing more than three words without being stopped and having to do it over 20 times. I loved that - that sort of process of di...”

“I am so envious of my colleagues from 100 years ago who only sang new works, they hardly ever sang revivals.”

“I was always a very good student.”

“Having to travel so much plays havoc with your personal life.”

“I've always been inspired by artists who have shown musical and intellectual curiosity and the courage to take risks.”

“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 s...”

“Learning operatic roles is ongoing, and I find that I can learn on the train or subway, during a manicure, getting my hair done, and even while driving if I only look at the score at red lig...”

“A lot of performers don't want to leave the circuit, the European opera house circuit, partly because most singers don't sing many concerts, or at least not while they are in their prime.”

“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'm not a reactionary.”

“I listen to archival and historic recordings. I love watching singers. I learned a lot from watching videos.”