What I found most refreshing was her definition of art and the artist. Personally, I listen almost exclusively to the great classics (symphony, opera, ballet, concerto, instrumental soloist); therefore a lot of what she said was lost on me; but not the human aspect of her artistry and her dedication to that art. In fact, she reminded me of a line from a great Italian Opera, Adriana Lecouvreur, where the lead soprano sings a tremendously moving and sumptuous rhapsody to her own art – in Italian, the words are: Io son l’umile ancella; in English: I am the humble handmaiden (of my art).

Bravo, Courtney! Bravissimo!