Just as all pop music is not simplistic, not all contemporary concert music is complex. Often what a person connects with goes much deeper than generalized issues of simplicity and complexity.

Part of what makes music so interesting is the lack of consensus on just about any given topic.

While I believe there is certainly a phenomenon of timelessness in art, the people writing today can comment on today in an exclusive manner.

If people want insights, if they want to swim in the currents of their own time and share the experiences of their time, then it makes sense to engage with the artists of one's own time.

I don't think performance out of duty yields very much. Coercion is never the way to go.

My own goals center around writing the best music that I can, and only I can determine whether or not I've succeeded in accomplishing that.

Many critics have become de facto teachers. That is a lot of responsibility, and I think it should be wielded with care. Most people appreciate sincere guidance.

The best critics leave the reader curious to pursue something further, but still to let the reader have his or her own honest, unique opinion.

Mazur was a remarkable artist. During our time in Rome we became friends. I would often perform my works for him at the piano.

A healthy dialogue is always good.

I was fortunate to work with Corigliano for a few years in the mid nineties. Meeting and working with him during those formative years was an important experience.

The people I'm stuck with in my life now aren't sucking the life out of me, they just suck.

What old people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can. Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.

Praying without gratitude is more like complaining.

Sometimes you must earn the right to be included. Otherwise, you may appear awkward or pushy.

If it weren't for people that stand out, this whole world would be really, really boring.

You see, we all want the same things. We want to be able to take care of our families, provide for our children, to have a roof over our heads and a good-paying job.

I am a self-proclaimed "fitness addict," so I am one of those people who actually really, really enjoys working out.

I liked Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, and that is the kind of character that I would like to have played. That would have been more in tune with who I really was.

Like chaos in a glass cage.

My daughter is a preschooler but I have only known her for a while. She is adopted.