The sort of commercial parameters of classical music changed after the [World War II] , and the whole industry became more backward-looking.

I always felt that one day I would have to make the change in my own life, bite the bullet and see what it is to be a composer who conducts rather than the other way around.

We're not talking about an elite art form from the price point of view. We have a building in L.A. that is incredibly open, exciting, inviting, and all that, and there's no reason for this music not to be part of everybody's everyday life.

This country, and the West Coast, especially, is bad at preserving any cultural legacy.

If I were in a position to announce a public competition to coin a new word, I would do so right now.

There is more openness in LA to possibilities than on the East Coast of America. There is a pioneering spirit there that stems from the reason people went out there in the first place-to find something new.

After 30 years I have realized the greatest pleasure I can get is to have learnt.