Danielle de Niese
After winning Australian TV’s Young Talent Time at nine years old, Danielle de Niese made her operatic debut in Los Angeles at fifteen. A year later she won an Emmy Award for her presenting work on TV, and at nineteen she became the youngest singer ever to debut for the Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
After critical acclaim in 2005, playing Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne, she is today one of the most sought-after lyric sopranos, performing regularly at the world’s leading opera houses. Through her live performances, recordings and TV exposure, Danielle has won widespread recognition as a popular classical artist, tearing up the classical rulebook with what’s been called her ‘unique combination of artistic credibility, 21st-century allure, and the ability to communicate on every level’.
I am a great believer in patience, to never take short-cuts, and that ‘slow and steady wins the race’. It’s like the story about the tortoise and the hare, where the hare runs ahead fast, but the tortoise ends up winning the race.
Education doesn’t stop when you leave school. I still have a teacher now, and I’ll still have a teacher in twenty years’ time. If you are professional and dedicated to your art, and want to be the best you can be, you never want to stop learning or improving.
I really do believe in the value of hard work, of dedication and grafting. For me, having the right work ethic is hugely important if you want to find success in life.
My biggest advice to parents is to really look at your children when they are young, take notice of them, truly observe and engage with them, and see what they respond to. If you do nothing, your child will still grow up, but if you nurture and love your child, the rewards for both you and for them can be so much greater.
Where to buy
Read more from Danielle de Niese and the other 21 exceptional contributors to this book
A Few Wise Words is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones, leading on-line booksellers and select bookshops
