WHERE SHE'S BEEN: Kirchschlager doesn't hesitate to point out what she calls "the absolute highlight" of her career so far. "In October of 1998 I went with Riccardo Muti and the Orchestra of La Scala to the Vatican to perform for the Pope." So the thrill was singing for his Holiness? "No. Actually, the Pope was sick, so he didn't show up. I spent two hours in the Sistine Chapel singing, listening to great music, and looking at the paintings."

WHERE SHE'S GOING: Kirchschlager has a busy fall. In addition to her La Scala debut, she'll be appearing in the annual Richard Tucker gala concert at New York's Lincoln Center and in recitals in Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, and London.

WHAT'S INFLUENCED HER: Kirchschlager studied with the great Austrian bass-baritone Walter Berry. "He influenced me so much, especially in the singing of art song. We're still in contact, even though I'm not studying with him anymore. He has so much experience to share -- not just about singing but about the performer's life" Kirchschlager also has a strong sense of history and listens carefully to the great singers of yore. "I find that old singers were so individual. They each did what they thought was right." Who does she especially admire? "Kathleen Ferrier sings exactly the way I want to, with the most simplicity and the deepest expression. I also love [tenor] Julius Patzak. He didn't really have a beautiful voice at all, but it's so very expressive."

WHAT SHE LISTENS TO FOR FUN: With a busy performing schedule, Kirchschlager wistfully admits that she doesn't have much time to listen to anything these days. But when she does plop a CD into the player, it's usually not a classical recording. "My favorite singer of all is Paolo Conte, and about once or twice a year I need to listen to techno music. I go to a disco because I can listen to this kind of music for hours and I love to dance."

WHAT REALLY, REALLY BOTHERS HER: In a word: coughing. She assures me that Americans are well behaved, saving her most bitter complaints for audiences in Vienna and Germany. But we're not totally off the hook, she says. "I sang a performance of Mozart's Requiem in New York recently, and just as the conductor had raised his arms to start, this woman in the second row coughed like she was going to explode! That's just so impolite and shows no respect for the artists. I heard about a conductor who stopped a performance to tell the audience: 'A painter begins with a blank canvas and a musician begins with silence.' It's that simple, really."

ON THE ROAD: With a blossoming career, a husband, and a child, finding a balance is difficult. "When I travel for an opera engagement, my son comes with me. But there's not just one solution. We have to decide what we are going to do from one performance to another. Luckily, my husband -- who is also a singer -- is terrific, and we have a wonderful child who loves to travel and who really loves music."