In your professional career one can perhaps note a greater inclination towards chamber music. Have you always preferred this kind of repertory, or do you simply prefer small ensembles?

I don’t think it’s a question of repertory. Personally, I like working in small groups. The musicians have a much closer relationship and the understanding between them is much subtler. It is important that there is a relaxed personal and musical relationship among the group’s members so that working together becomes more pleasant. Nonetheless, musically I don’t have any preferences. I like both singing with a chamber ensemble and a symphony orchestra. I don’t sing early music exclusively. The trouble is they are both very closed and independent circuits. Once you are in one, it is very difficult to move to the other.

Do you believe early and “modern” music are two mutually-exclusive realities for a professional musician?

They seem like perfectly compatible styles to me. If a musician is capable of performing one type of repertory, I don’t see any reason why he should limit himself to only one. Personally, I enjoy a bit of everything, and I would even like to perform more opera than I currently do, although that is truly a very distinct circuit. I agree with you that both sides view each other from a distance, which is unfortunately due more to stubbornness than purely musical reasons. Anyway, this seems to be changing, although in only one direction: a “modern” music professional can more easily access early music repertories than vice versa. I don’t think it’s only a problem of musical perception, but of the job market itself. The way of hiring and music agents and even marketing affect the division of artists into two clearly differentiated groups.

Do you prefer to perform as an active part of the musical concept itself, or, on the contrary, under the baton of a conductor’s personal interpretation?

When it is a small ensemble, the result is a group effort, but when it is larger, the figure of the conductor is necessary. There are groups with which I have worked for many years and in which I feel I take a more active part. However, with an orchestra I limit myself to interpreting what the conductor asks of me. But this does not impede the singer from making his/her own contribution.

Do you prefer any type of repertory in particular?