But an innovation, to grow organically from within, has to be based on an intact tradition, so our idea is to bring together musicians who represent all these traditions, in workshops, festivals, and concerts, to see how we can connect with each other in music.

You go through phases. You have to reinvent reasons for playing, and one year's answer might not do for another.

My involvement in the political arena is to make sure there's a place for culture.

I realized late in life that my twin passions are music and people.

Practicing is not only playing your instrument, either by yourself or rehearsing with others - it also includes imagining yourself practicing. Your brain forms the same neural connections and muscle memory whether you are imagining the task or actually doing it.

With every year of playing, you want to relax one more muscle. Why? Because the more tense you are, the less you can hear.

When we have a good balance between thinking and feeling... our actions and lives are always the richer for it.