Maureen Forrester Quotes

Powerful Maureen Forrester for Daily Growth

About Maureen Forrester

Maureen Forrester (1930-2010) was a renowned Canadian mezzo-soprano known for her versatility, emotional depth, and technical brilliance in the world of classical music. Born on July 6, 1930, in Montreal, Quebec, Forrester's passion for music began at an early age under the guidance of her mother, a pianist, and her uncle, a violinist. Forrester studied at the Montreal Conservatory of Music before moving to Europe to continue her education. In 1956, she made her professional debut with the Vienna State Opera and later performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She collaborated with renowned conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Sir Georg Solti. Throughout her illustrious career, Forrester was known for her interpretations of operatic roles by Mozart, Verdi, and Richard Strauss, as well as her performances of oratorios, songs, and chamber music. One of her most notable performances was as the title role in Dido and Aeneas at the 1967 Stratford Festival. Forrester was also a dedicated educator, serving as a professor at McGill University for over three decades. She founded the Atelier Lyrique de Montréal in 1980 to provide young singers with professional training and performance opportunities. In addition to her musical contributions, Forrester was an advocate for Canadian culture and arts, promoting Canadian compositions and performers on both national and international stages. She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, the Order of Canada, and the Companion of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. Maureen Forrester passed away on December 18, 2010, leaving behind a legacy as one of Canada's most distinguished classical musicians. Her influence continues to inspire generations of singers and music lovers.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Music is a kind of magic that transcends the spoken and written word."

This quote suggests that music, beyond its auditory form, possesses an intangible and transformative power. It implies that music surpasses simple communication through language as it evokes emotions, memories, and ideas in a way that words cannot always capture or convey directly. The magic of music lies in its ability to transcend boundaries, connect people across cultures, and move listeners on an emotional level.


"Singing is an act of sharing."

This quote by Maureen Forrester emphasizes that singing, as a form of artistic expression, transcends personal boundaries and creates a connection between people. It signifies the act of sharing feelings, emotions, and stories through music, fostering empathy, understanding, and unity among individuals. Singing is not only an individual's creative outlet but also a means to communicate, heal, and forge meaningful relationships.


"I've always felt that music has to come from deep within you, and it must reflect your heart."

This quote emphasizes the emotional authenticity required in music creation. Maureen Forrester suggests that genuine musical expression originates from a deeply personal place within an artist, and should be a reflection of their true feelings or emotions. Essentially, she underscores the importance of artistic integrity when composing and performing music.


"The beauty of opera lies in its ability to express extreme emotions in a way that words alone cannot convey."

Maureen Forrester's quote emphasizes that the essence of opera transcends the boundaries of verbal expression. It suggests that the intensity and complexity of human emotions, often too profound for mere words to fully capture, can be effectively portrayed in opera through a unique blend of music, drama, and storytelling. This artistic medium allows us to experience and empathize with deep-seated feelings, such as love, loss, joy, and despair, in ways that resonate more profoundly than if we only heard about them in speech.


"I am always trying to find the essence of the song I am singing, to make it my own and communicate it to the audience."

Maureen Forrester's quote suggests that she strives to connect deeply with the songs she performs, to understand their core meaning and express it in a way that resonates personally and emotionally with her audience. This involves not just singing the notes correctly, but also conveying the emotional content and essence of the song through her performance.


Young people can get very discouraged and get hooked on drugs or on alcohol because of problems they perceive as insurmountable. It is important that they realize a mistake need not ruin their future, but they must also know that not everything in life is a bed of roses.

- Maureen Forrester

Young, Bed, Very, Discouraged

After Bruno Walter, my career went in leaps and bounds. I have had 35 years of a career that is just incredible, and a wonderful time all over the world.

- Maureen Forrester

Career, Incredible, Over, Leaps

I have had five phenomenal children, a great husband and, even though we are separated, we are good friends.

- Maureen Forrester

Separated, Had, Though, Phenomenal

Perhaps, once I am gone, the one thing I might be remembered for is having sung a great deal of Mahler with a great many phenomenal conductors. It is wonderful music, very spiritual.

- Maureen Forrester

Deal, Very, Mahler, Phenomenal

My mother was a wonderful, wonderful woman with a lovely voice who hated housework, hated cooking even more and loved her children. She was always arranging church activities such as a bazaar.

- Maureen Forrester

Voice, Lovely, Always, Arranging

When I started to sing, my mother would have me engaged to perform at the Women's Christian Temperance Union national or annual meetings. I would hate doing this because I wanted to play baseball or go off skiing.

- Maureen Forrester

Play, Doing, Engaged, Play Baseball

I have been all over the world. I have met some wonderful people, lots of them very simple, whom nobody will ever hear about, but who have been fabulous to me.

- Maureen Forrester

Some, Over, Very, Hear

I had a wonderful childhood, but I was a wanderer from year one.

- Maureen Forrester

Childhood, Year, Wanderer

That is what I always tell service clubs: If you hear of somebody who is very young and talented, pick them up and give them that little assistance to make sure that they get to the professional stage.

- Maureen Forrester

Give, Always, Very, Talented

I thought I should go to New York because it was the place to go to study. I went and tried to get an application from the Juilliard School but they wouldn't even give me one because I didn't have my high school graduation.

- Maureen Forrester

Thought, Study, Tried, Give Me

Another turn in my life happened when I took on the Canada Council.

- Maureen Forrester

My Life, Canada, Took, Council

I have three grandchildren and am hoping for 20.

- Maureen Forrester

Grandchildren, Three, Am, Hoping

Making a living in the arts, though, creates so many jobs for other people.

- Maureen Forrester

Living, Other, Making, Making A Living

I was born in Montreal and came from a lower-middle-class family.

- Maureen Forrester

Born, I Was Born, Came, Montreal

Singing beautiful melodies is one thing, but to deliver the text so that the people understand it, even in a foreign language, has to be worked at very hard.

- Maureen Forrester

Singing, Melodies, Very, Text

It makes one a better person to have had hardships and to have overcome hardships and not to blame anybody else for your mistakes.

- Maureen Forrester

Better Person, Hardships, Anybody Else

By the time I was four, I would walk around the corner and wait at a local streetcar stop, get on the streetcar with somebody who looked like they could be my mother and go to the end of the line.

- Maureen Forrester

Wait, By The Time, Looked, Streetcar

If somebody asks me to recommend a young, good singer, I always do.

- Maureen Forrester

Young, Singer, Always, Recommend

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