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I love opera so much. I would never go back to doing it, but I love to listen - I'm grateful for it.

I like the idea of people coming to opera for the first time and finding it an enjoyable experience. I don't like the fact that opera is seen as elitist and all black ties and that stuff.

I was attracted to opera when I was 15 or 16. A very rich man in England bankrupted himself to put on a lot of opera during the war, but he converted a lot of people, myself included, in the process.

More people are listening to opera, and I'm happy - everybody must be given that opportunity.

It is essential to do everything possible to attract young people to opera so they can see that it is not some antiquated art form but a repository of the most glorious music and drama that man has created.

It is so important for people at a young age to be invited to embrace classical music and opera.

To this day, I adore classical music, and I'm very interested in opera, which I found out later my father was also extremely fond of.

I'd love to have the time to learn to sing opera properly rather than bellowing half-formed fragments of melody in exuberant moments.

The very beautiful and very touching thing about opera singers is they are very willing to do whatever you want. Unlike actors, who constantly want to know why they're doing something, opera singers will sort of follow you into the fires of hell.

I love to conduct opera.