Renee Fleming

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

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

"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."

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

"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 lights."

"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."