Favourite place?
I’ve been asked countless times where my favourite place is, and I always give the same answer. At home with my family. 

Top 3 favourite composers?
I have to say that my three favourite composers are Verdi, Bellini and Puccini. Also Massenet is a huge favourite of mine. 

My favourite movie is The Wizard of Oz. We watched it every year on television when I was a child.  I am a huge fan of Judy Garland and I have always wanted to perform the Cowardly Lion role.

What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
One of the funniest things that happened to me on stage was during a concert in Winnipeg. I was singing an aria from the opera Luisa Miller. We were all told we could use the music for the concert as the selections were chosen with not much lead time. I had memorized the first verse and refrain but the second verse was not quite from memory. I walked on stage put my music on the stand and as the orchestra started the light on my stand went out. I kept going but made up the words for the second verse. An Italian gentleman came to my dressing room after and said he loved my singing, but he asked me why, in the second verse of my aria, did I sing “Now I’m going to eat myself!”

What's your favourite orchestral instrument? Why?
My favourite orchestral instrument is most definitely the viola. I love the warm, rich sound it produces. My father was an amateur violist, and I was lucky to have married a violist!! 

What’s the downside of being an opera artist?
There is a downside to being an opera singer. In the midst of my career I was on the road approximately ten months of the year. It is extremely hard on the family and can be a very lonely existence. We made a point of talking on the phone at least an hour a day when I was away. This was a great source of comfort, and it ensured that our relationship was solid. 

Are you a cat person or dog person?
I am definitely a dog person. We had dogs and cats in the house when I was growing up, but my real love was the dogs. We've have had two dogs since we were married and are completely smitten with our current dog. 

Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
The last television show I binge-watched was The Blacklist. I was completely drawn in and some nights watched too many episodes!!

Top 3 favourite operas?
I think my top three favourite operas are Turandot, Werther and Un ballo in maschera. 

What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
My favourite thing about singing with an orchestra is the feeling of being surrounded by the sound and becoming one with that sound. It is the ultimate feeling of becoming one voice with all the musicians. It is thrilling. 

What was the first opera you ever saw?
The very first operatic performance I saw was a production of The Merry Widow in Vancouver when I was a child.

What’s your ancestry?
My ancestry is Irish/Swedish, hence my mother always nicknamed me Jussi McCormack.  

Where did you go to school?
I was born and raised in Victoria and went through school there. 

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken for a production?
I would say the biggest risk I've taken for a production was in the Boito opera Mefistofele. I did a production with Sam Ramey in a bunch of opera houses around the globe. I had to fly fifty feet above the stage in this production, and it took a while to get used to the harness and ropes. I am afraid of heights, so this always made me nervous.

What is happiness for you?
I think the greatest happiness for me is being home with my family and not alone in a foreign city and hotel. There really is “no place like home.”

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
I think the best advice I was ever given was the word patience. Don't take on the big roles before it's time and don't be pushed into performing things believing you won't be asked again if you turn it down. Patience is the difference between a short career and a life's journey as a singer.