I have this horrible, horrible habit of going on YouTube and checking out comments about what I do.

Writing an opera and premiering in England, you could say I was going right into the eye of the storm and I came out successfully. A little tattered and bruised, but so what, I made it.

Premiering a new opera is probably one of the hardest things in the world to do, and opening nights of any opera are always pretty stressful.

I like to try new things.

I bemoan the fact that all my famous friends have places in St. Bart's and I have to go to Montauk.

I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you.

I am always writing; if you want to survive in this business, you need to keep working, keep creating and never stop the output.