It seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not, more important now was for me to love them Beverly Sills More Quotes by Beverly Sills More Quotes From Beverly Sills I was always the first person in the theater all the time. If it was an eight-o'clock curtain, I was here at five-thirty, and it wasn't that I needed to vocalize, because I was all warmed up. I couldn't wait for it to begin. Beverly Sills person wait always time I began by listening to my mother's collection of Amelita Galli-Curci and Lily Pons records, and then was taken (at age eight) to hear Pons at a Met performance of Lakme. It was at that moment that I decided to become an opera star. Not just an opera singer, but an opera star! Beverly Sills performance moment age mother I think you have to take everything that looks like a blow and turn it into a triumph. This is where my energy comes from: I just won't be licked. Beverly Sills think you energy looks In a sense, I revolutionized the operatic scene because I proved you can make a great international career without the Metropolitan. I'm the only singer who's done that, and I'm proud of that, so it's all worked out for the best. Beverly Sills best great you proud You can't imitate; all our faces are constructed differently... and the vocal cords; otherwise, we'd all sound alike. I don't think anybody should ever teach by imitating. Beverly Sills think you teach sound At the beginning, I thought, 'Oh, I can't criticize a singer who's doing a role that I adored... even a role I didn't do.' And then I thought, 'The heck with that! Thirty years of experience... ask the girl who did it!' And I feel that if they're not willing to take what I have to say, that's fine! But I'm going to say it. Beverly Sills feel beginning experience girl This joyfulness that I felt when I sang, and this need to communicate with people, these are my two strongest points. I've always been a people person. I love people; I like to be with people, and when I got on stage, I was home free. Beverly Sills free home love people When I was general director of City Opera, we were pioneers in the practice of projecting supertitles so that American audiences finally could know what all the singing was about. Beverly Sills city know singing practice I love Massenet - 'Manon' had been a wonderful role for me - and the music he wrote for 'Thais' is quite enjoyable and not terribly demanding in a vocal sense. Beverly Sills me music wonderful love The 'Daughter of the Regiment' that I did in Boston was vintage Sarah Caldwell, which is to say it was brilliant. Before my career was over, I'm sure I sang the role of Marie at least a hundred times, often in productions that cost a fortune, but none touched hers. Beverly Sills say career vintage daughter Opera became popular in Texas the same way it did in a lot of previously isolated regions of the nation. It started with money. In the case of Texas, it was oil money, and it made a lot of people very rich, very fast. Beverly Sills rich money people way My parents never told me about Papa's lung cancer or the desperate nature of the operations he was about to undergo, which were a last-ditch effort to contain the spread of his cancer. Beverly Sills parents me effort nature You see why we play so many crazy ladies. We have to be crazy to start with. Beverly Sills start see you crazy I got out while they were still fighting to buy tickets to hear me. I believe in getting out when you're on top, and that's what I did. Beverly Sills me you fighting believe
