There are days that I get neurotic with the instrument [violin]. Every little adjustment will change the balance for good or for bad. It's kind of a miracle, the way the whole thing works as an acoustical whole, so perfectly balanced that any little thing will - which also means the weather, the humidity.

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a conductor say, 'Play softer,' as they're waving their hands in huge gestures.

What drew me to the violin was mastering the instrument technically, which I'm continuing to do.

When you play for ticket-holders, you are already validated. I have no sense that I need to be accepted. I'm already accepted.

I was lucky enough to have parents who started me on music very early, but most kids don't get that kind of exposure.

If you mess up the tiniest little thing in the Beethoven concerto, or the phrasing isn't just exactly perfectly executed, Beethoven brings out the worst in the best violinist. You almost never hear a satisfying performance, because it doesn't play itself.

Kids need to be structured in some way, but you don't want to force something down their throats that they have no interest in.