I think art can reflect tragedy.

You become a great composer when you win a Pulitzer. But I think that now it's a completely meaningless award.

Eighty percent of my pieces gravitate towards an A, as a tonal thing, not at the beginning, but somewhere in it.

What I think of as style - and I've gotten to this over years of really thinking about it - is that style is the unconscious choices I make.

I have tremendous respect for film composers.

I don't think that the Pulitzer should be given the way it is. I think the competition should be anonymous. I think completely different people would win it if the names were taken off because a lot of it is done on relationships and names.

I think it's good for the composer to teach because you always have new students and you have to begin at the beginning and make things clear.