One of my central maxims is how a major part of what a conductor tries to do is get a large group of people to agree on where "now" actually is.

Being a conductor is kind of a hybrid profession because most fundamentally, it is being someone who is a coach, a trainer, an editor, a director.

When I was a kid, three years old, I couldn't walk by the piano without reaching up and trying to play a few notes on it. There are kids who are just drawn to listening to music and dancing to it and trying to conduct.

Part of my mission is simply that: to bring the world of the arts, particularly classical music, closer to people so they don't feel that it is something remote that they have to specially prepare themselves for, or dress up for.

This extraordinary group has absolutely captivated my imagination, knocked my socks off - what more can I say?

One of my central maxims is how a major part of what a conductor tries to do is get a large group of people to agree on where "now" actually is.

The world changes when there's music in it.