From the spiritual came the blues, gospel, and rhythm-and-blues. I heard all of that music growing up, and that has influenced how I approached classical music. I’m sure of it. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
I’m a consumer as well as a performer. Among my leisure-time activities is going to the theater. I’m very interested in that. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
I think for more than half of my career, I have refrained from talking to the media. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
Some of the things that have been the most meaningful to me have been experiences I’ve shared with my family. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
When I do concerts and recitals, the two most common requests are spirituals and opera. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
I bring my classical training – some of it, but not all of it – and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And I try to leave room for that unpredictable factor, where the feeling of the song is allowed to come through. The same ethos can be applied to singing Mozart, or Schubert, or Bach. It’s not just about what’s on the page. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
New York is a great place to be fed in the arts. The arts in general are a large part of my life. The city was my postgraduate course. Kathleen Battle Read Quote
The question is not… if art is enough to fulfill my life, but if I am true to the path I have set for myself, if I am the best I can be in the things I do. Am I living up to the reasons I became a singer in the first place? Kathleen Battle Read Quote
