Claire Rutter: McDonald's, KFC? Or a nice glass of wine?

Born in South Shields, Tyneside, Claire Rutter is one of the country's leading soprano singers and recently won plaudits for her performance in the ENO's A Masked Ball. She is married to baritone Stephen Gadd

What is your routine before going on stage?

I like to have a lot of rest on the day of a performance, then I'll have a large carbohydrate lunch, with nothing else again before I sing – but I do munch on some fruit from time to time during a show. I like to get to the theatre early to "settle in", but if I'm working in the West End I'm often tempted to dash off to do some shopping before the make-up department collars me! I don't get bound up with too much ritual before a performance. Sometimes I don't even warm-up – as long as I've sung the day before. I want to save all my energies for the stage.

Your voice has been compared to Maria Callas's. Did you ever consciously try to emulate her style?

I have always been a big fan of Maria's, and we do sing the same repertoire. It's been said that I look a bit like her, too, but I don't try to copy her. I'm most definitely my own singer, but am very flattered to be compared to one of the greatest divas of all time.

What sort of music do you listen to when you're not working?

I don't go home and listen to opera, necessarily. I usually turn the radio on and see what's out there. I like Shakira, and anything I feel I can dance to. Because I like going to the gym I pick up on stuff from MTV while I'm working out. My brother, Paul Rutter, is a country-rock song-writer, so I listen to his music too, which is great to drive to.

Has your voice ever given up on you mid-performance?

What a horrible thought! Usually, you have some warning if you've got a vocal problem, so I wouldn't go on and sing if I thought it was going to fail me.

It's tempting to imagine you and your husband singing together in the kitchen. Does this ever happen?

No, never! We hardly ever sing around the house, usually because the kids complain! We've got our music room, which is the work space, but sadly Stephen is too cynical to even contemplate romantic duets by the sink.

Any roles you're just itching to tackle and haven't yet had the chance?

I'm very lucky that I've done many of the roles I've always wanted to sing, and I've now even got Tosca in the diary for 2004 after the success of ENO's A Masked Ball. I would like to sing Norma and Lucia di Lammermoor, as I've got a high coloratura part to the voice that rarely gets used. I'm also thinking about the infamous "Queen of the Night" from Mozart's Magic Flute – very stratospheric!

Despite attempts to pep up its image, opera is still widely perceived as the preserve of the old and rich. Does this worry you and can you see a way to entice the younger generations?

I went to Glyndebourne the other day to see Stephen in the new production of Euryanthe and yes, there were a lot of older, rich people, but I was also very encouraged to see lots of younger people, including children. It's a shame that people who've never seen opera get put off by a pre-conceived idea that it's too "high-brow", because in the rest of Europe they are much more realistic about it, probably because they are brought up with opera from an early age, and it's part of their life.I disagree with the "dumbing-down" of opera – by using singers who don't normally sing opera or releasing CDs with all the popular tunes (often incorrectly) – as it just lowers standards.

Is there one particular performance of yours which you look back on and think, "Yes, that was perfect"?

Never! I'm always striving to be better, and am too critical to be truly pleased with myself. I suppose I'm a perfectionist at heart.

How do you unwind at the end of a performance?

I used to have to find the nearest KFC, or McDonald's, but I settle for a nice glass of champagne or red wine nowadays. And unless it's a first night I have no trouble just falling asleep when I get to my bed and don't feel the need to unwind as such – that's probably because I know I'll be up at 6.30am with two small children, who have no idea what I've been through the night before!

Claire Rutter will be performing at Leeds Castle (01622 880008) on Saturday and the Henley Festival (01491 843404), 10-14 July