Kathleen Battle's dismissal from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 ended her stellar but conflict-filled operatic career. Now, at 61, the media-shy African-American soprano is reluctant to discuss opera. She'd rather talk about her concerts and recitals - including gigs with the likes of Stevie Wonder, performances for the Pope, and her appearance in Ottawa on Tuesday at the Music and Beyond Festival.
You don't often do interviews these days. Why is that?
I never have. In this case, this is a brand new festival, and in this day it's so important to support the arts.
Do you get requests from your fans urging you to return to the opera stage?
When I do concerts and recitals, the two most common requests are spirituals and opera. My upcoming recital in Ottawa doesn't have any opera - but Liszt's Die Lorelei has an operatic quality, and so does the Rachmaninoff I'll be singing in the second half. And it isn't such a great leap from Rachmaninoff to spirituals, because they both have a soulful feeling.
Why are spirituals so special for you?
I think of Roland Hayes, who was a great classical tenor who also did beautiful arrangements of spirituals. He sang Schubert and spirituals with the same commitment. He brought his classical training to bear, without leaving behind his cultural roots.
Is that your ethos as well?
Exactly. 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.
And you've also worked with some well-known pop music figures.
Some of the music I listen to is pop. I sing it in the shower - and then for public consumption.
I've appeared with Alicia Keys a couple of times. We did Superwoman for the American Music Awards show. But before that, the first time I sang with her was special and unique. I had met her at Oprah's Legends Weekend. Then she called me and said there was a song that Bono had written for himself and Pavarotti, called Miss Sarajevo. Alicia ingeniously decided to retrofit it to herself and me. We sang it for an AIDS charity called Keep a Child Alive. Bono was there, and he gave us a standing ovation.
Stevie Wonder also requested I sing at his special tribute, and I sang one of his songs. Both Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder first heard me sing classical music, so there was something in my voice that seemed to work for them in a pop style.
What was it like to sing for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008?
That was a pretty heady experience. I'd had the previous experience of singing a Schubert Mass with Herbert von Karajan at the Vatican. In both cases, I didn't really meet the Pope. But Benedict looked over and winked at me in a very favourable way. It was his wink of approval!
What other highlights from your career spring to mind?
Some of the things that have been the most meaningful to me have been experiences I've shared with my family. My mother and father were at Carnegie Hall, when I did Mahler's Fourth Symphony. But it's hard to say because I've been so lucky and blessed. There are a lot of things that stand out - too numerous to mention. I like to leave it to others to say.
Kathleen Battle will perform Tuesday in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre's Southam Hall.
This interview has been condensed and edited.