There were a lot of things happen in the mid-'80's that all of a sudden made it possible to do a lot of very quick interactive music.

I think part of the bad thing is that skill is emphasized so much that a lot of people, by the time they get to Juilliard, well I think they kind of forget why they got into music in the first place and if they're performers - this is a simplification, but a lot of them are trying to win a competition and play more accurately, or better, or more beautifully, whatever can be measured, than somebody else.

There's just an incredibly rich and interesting relationship between our listening to music and the way our minds engage.

Works of art should be stimulating. They should wake people up rather than acting like a sedative.

There were a lot of things happen in the mid-'80's that all of a sudden made it possible to do a lot of very quick interactive music.

I love the cello, I love the physical sense of an instrument that's about the size of your body that vibrates enough that even if you play an open string, you feel it.

Why does every society seem to want to make music when it often seems like kind of a frill.