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.

The performances of my works in the last 10 years are probably equal to all the previous years put together. There are so many venues now and there is a completely new public for opera that's grown up outside of the traditional core opera public.

I had all the normal interests - I played basketball and I headed the school paper. But I also developed very early a great love for music and literature and the theater.

Anyone who creates something new or does something different artistically is going to be singled out.

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

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.

It's amazing how fast generations lose sight of other generations. One of the first things the young composers who come to work with me say is that they want to write music people will like, instead of gaining their credentials by being rejected by the audience.