Melody Moore is well named. Her parents must have had a sixth sense that she would be "melodious". This exciting young American soprano has been making waves on both sides of the Atlantic. She has established footholds at both San Francisco and Los Angeles Opera and in the 2008/9 season made her English National Opera debut in Jonathan Miller's new production of La bohème. She returns to the ENO this season as Marguerite in Des McAnuff's new staging of Gounod's Faust, a role which seems to define the direction in which her voice and career are taking her.

Hers is a lyric voice with distinctively dark overtones and a spinto reach to lend power and excitement. The names of Renata Tebaldi and Gabriella Tucci have been evoked in describing her special qualities. In this exclusive audio podcast she talks about her beginnings, her hopes, her aspirations, and - in telling detail - her voice. She talks about the new ENO Faust staging and the role of Marguerite which so exactingly demands both a coloratura and a lyrico spinto capability; and she muses on appearing in Stephen "Wicked" Schwartz's first opera Seance on a Wet Afternoon and what that means for the new-found spirit of co-operation and cross-fertilisation between Broadway and the opera world.

Listen to this episode

• Find out more about Melody Moore
• The ENO's new production of Faust begins on 18 September