People will ask, 'Are you famous?' And I always answer, 'My mother thinks so.'

As a musician I'm kind of nomadic, Waldo-like. I show up in different places, and I'm witness to unbelievable things.

Bach takes you to a very quiet place within yourself, to the inner core, a place where you are calm and at peace.

I think one of the great things about being a musician is that you never stop learning.

One of the things I love about music is live performance.

The tradition of classical music and the opera is such that it used to be the place where social intercourse could take place between all parts of society: politicians, industrialists, artists, citizens, etc. That tradition, I think, still exists, but it's much, much more diluted.

One of the marks of a great teacher lies not only in an ability to impart knowledge but also in knowing when to encourage a student to go off on his own.