Most of the important composers in our country are clustered in the Northeast.

I found a certain kind of music congenial to me; it never occurred to me to write music that was academically acceptable.

If an American audience is given a serious musical theater piece that is well produced, dramatically gripping and wonderfully acted, they'll respond to it.

It seems to me opera is just as relevant as an expressive art as anything else.

What is American music? The most satisfying answer I've come across is that it was a kind of natural comfort with the vernacular which is diverse and regional; it's not one particular set of sounds.

I was trying to do something that seemed very natural and easy but which bridged that gulf between the singing voice and the speaking voice.

People in very high places suddenly fall, and we are always surprised because we don't factor in the basic element that they're humans and, therefore, they are flawed and have weaknesses.