Renee Fleming Quotes

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.

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

I learned so many roles so quickly as a young singer, I thought it was time to come back to them and make them better - deeper, more nuanced.

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 enjoy the more floaty, exposed, elegant singing.

I don't want to record anything unless it can be great and genuinely interesting.

I don't want to be somebody who stands still and sings pretty. Each song is a world. Each song is a story. I don't achieve nearly what I want.

I don't like to sing loud.

I do everything in the third person. Performance is about being someone else.

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

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

For years, I had no time for exploratory travel.

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

For a while it was hard for me to say no to work.

Every singer eventually gets around to a Christmas disc.

Contrary to the norm, as my technique improved my voice became higher.

Certainly, jazz has become more of a niche, which is surprising, because it's our music. It's the national music of America.

Being steeped in the process of learning and exploring keeps me from becoming too nervous. Partly it's about not getting bored.

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

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 big mistake.' It's always a shame when that happens, especially if you've gotten by for decades without anythin

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

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

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.

Everybody's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress. I mean, I've never arrived... I'm still learning all the time.