My Mom is a ballet director so I had this idea in me that classical training is the best foundation for anything you do so I wanted to get a classical background and voice.

My mom's a concert pianist so she started teaching me when I was around seven. When I was eight I started writing my own songs and kinda started putting piano and singing together. But I'm trained classically which is a big influence on me I think.

I'm thinking about learning a few new things - like taking classical guitar lessons - and I'd like to bring what I learn into hard rock.

My mom had this romantic notion of her children playing classical music. The idea is you learn it when you're still learning language. It's using the same part of the brain.

Quality in a classical Greek sense is how to live with grace and intelligence with bravery and mercy.

Classical plays require more imagination and more general training to be able to do. That's why I like playing Shakespeare better than anything else.

Oh stuff the critics. I don't care. Too many people are snooty about classical. Look I wasn't brought up in a home where we listened to classical music. It was a singing teacher that thought it would be best for my voice. Then I moved into crossover. And if that makes the music accessible to more people then great.

If history philosophy and so on vanish from academic life what they leave in their wake may be a technical training facility or corporate research institute. But it will not be a university in the classical sense of the term and it would be deceptive to call it one.

I would like to be as fit as I've always been. I've been blessed with good health I've been blessed with stamina. Particularly for those great classical roles you need an Olympian stamina. I fortunately have that.

Jazz stands for freedom. It's supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise and take chances and don't be a perfectionist - leave that to the classical musicians.