Music is so powerful, it needs to be used for some kind of redeeming work. To lift peoples spirits, to lift their souls.

My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.

To be a musician, you have to be honest... to be honest... to be honest.

Music is still part of my spiritual life. Sometimes I sing my prayers. When I get audiences singing, I hope I'm helping them feel connected to something beyond themselves.

In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don't worry. Be happy.

Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was living in San Francisco at the time and I started attending some of the concerts and then simply dropping hints.

Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults