Anything can become a musical sound. The wind on telegraph wires is a great sound; get it into your machine and play it and it becomes interesting.

I grew up in a house full of music, and a house that didn't have a television. We had a piano, but no television. And really, I very quickly realized that this was, you know, there was magic there, there was magic to be had, you could lose yourself in it, it was a refuge, it was joy, it was all of those things.

I think one of the things which always is forgotten in music class, is the first thing you have to do as a musician is you have to learn how to listen.

If something happened where I couldnt write music anymore, it would kill me. Its not just a job. Its not just a hobby. Its why I get up in the morning.

I'm homeless, in a funny way. My culture I think is completely rooted in German 19th century music I suppose.

I want to go and write music that announces to you that you can feel something. I don’t want to tell you what to feel, but I just want you to have the possibility of feeling something.

I've spent my life trying to make things simpler. Because I find ultimately that complicated doesn't reach the heart.