Quotes from Renee Fleming

My worry is that opera will become an historic art form as opposed to a living, breathing thing.

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

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

My philosophy is that the people around us are there doing as much work if not more work behind the scenes and they're the last people you would ever be unkind to, so I hope I'm not a diva off stage.

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.

I don't like to sing loud.

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.