A biography for Sondra Radvanovskyhasn’t been written yet.
“I think Chicagoans have a great set of values. You know what I mean? Kindness. Morals. Ethics. People in Chicago do the right thing. If somebody falls on the street, someone will actually stop and help them up. That doesn't happen in certain other cities.”
“Trying to look glamorous while singing is not easy.”
“After I turn 50, I would like to sing Verdi's 'Attila.'”
“Singing bel canto is like walking on a tightrope - especially with a larger voice like mine.”
“My roots really instilled Chicago values in me.”
“People have this idea that opera singers are overweight and sit at home eating bonbons. But I consider myself an athlete.”
“HD is not forgiving. Once you see your face for the first time in a movie cinema, you run straight to the gym.”
“Opera tells stories that all ages can relate to: love, death, revenge, etc.”
“I know I'm an opera singer, but we're actors, too.”
“And if I don't sing, I don't get paid.”
“For me, bel canto is medicine for the voice.”
“I don't like confrontation; I just like to sing.”
“I perform in opera houses in the centres of big cities. We live in 20 acres of forest. You need that space to recover and renew.”
“When I am on the opera stage, I am playing someone else. In recitals, I even have the chance to talk to the audience, which is something you don't get to do in opera.”
“If I can transport audiences for the three or four hours they're at the opera, to make them forget all of their worries, the bills they have to pay and all that, then I've done my job. That, for me, is very gratifying.”
“I have the best job in the whole world because I get paid to do something I love. How many people do you know who can say that?”
“Artists shouldn't deal with business stuff; that's not what we're trained in, and most of us aren't good at it.”
“I always think of my father when I sing arias about loss and love and longing. It gave me that definite deep sorrow that one can only get from life experience, you know?”
“I'm American by birth, but I consider myself Canadian.”
“I absolutely love Canada, and I wouldn't live anywhere else. It's half American and half European, and I really enjoy that. And the people are just fantastic - nicer than any people in the world.”