When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11.

My operas usually come from musical ideas rather than ideas about subject matter.

I think music has gone through a period of something very severe, rather radical, rather the way painting did with cubism.

I don't think there is much American music.

I'm not an architectural composer.

I think there are influences that you open the door to, and influences that come under the door.

You either are or you're not.