Dawn Upshaw she is perhaps the greatest American vocalist working today, and one of the most celebrated opera singers of our time.
She came to prominence in this country with her recording of Gorecki's Symphony No 3, which took the anonymous Polish minimalist to the top of the classical charts.
She's also known for her dazzling range - she's equally at home on Broadway and Glyndebourne - and for being a thoroughly undiva-like diva.