I don't think I have ever met a single person who isn't moved by music of some kind.

I performed in Sydney some years ago for the Sydney Festival and I am just so pleased to be returning to the wonderful Sydney Opera House and also performing in Melbourne for the first time.

I would just like to say that opera is no longer about fat people in breastplates shattering wine glasses.

That was when I realised that music is the most profound, magical form of communication there is.

I do hope that our spring will be starting shortly and we will all be able to enjoy some sunshine again.

Opera is credible drama now, and it costs less than going to a football match. What have you got to lose?

The musical heritage of Yorkshire is deep and wide.

To tell you the truth, I never listen to opera at home.

I'm engaging my diaphragm as I'm speaking to you right now.

There are a lot of unseen elements to having a successful singing career.

It worries me that young singers think you can shortcut the training and go straight to fame and fortune, and programmes like Pop Idol have encouraged that.

These felt very much like last moments.

Not everyone can see that everything has some beauty.

For the majority of the time, I may as well have been just a really tan white kid. You know, I may as well have just been, like, a fat kid.

I've always been big. I'm never going to be an underwear model. But I am who I am, and that has its advantages and disadvantages.

The most powerful sign is that your work no longer enchants you - it's not deep, delightful, and mutually satisfying. When this happens, it may be time to look for new challenges.

Youcanfooltoomanyofthepeopletoomuchofthetime. See Lincoln 510:35.

You know, I was a regular on the Friday afternoon drill squad. Um, which... The year after I left school, I went back and thanked the sergeant major because I was so fit.

It amazes me how little common curtesy people can show when their tested.

There's nothing so unattractive as vanity... particularly male vanity.

When you're acting, you're escaping and hiding behind something. It's cliched to say, but there's a safety there.