Quote

I do basically what a conductor does with a baton, except I also play along with the orchestra. So I have to juggle the roles of playing the concertmaster; sometimes I drop the violin and wave my arms.

I can't even touch another conductor's baton. The center of gravity, the feel of the handle, puts me totally off.

I frequently find after a rehearsal of a performance that I have more breath, and can walk better and climb stairs better than I could before. It's as if I've expanded my lungs doing it. Basically speaking, conducting is quite a healthy profession.

Conducting is a strange thing to teach.

Once at the White House I was asked to conduct the Drum and Bugle Corp. The man just handed me the baton and I finished the song. It was great. I got to keep the baton.

I like to juggle with one ball at a time. Then I put the ball down and do nothing for extended periods of time.

Juggling is very, very straightforward; very, very black and white; you're manipulating objects, not people. And that's always appealed to me.

My music wouldn't sound the way it does if I hadn't had the experience of conducting.

Now, juggling can be a lot of fun; play with skill and play with space, play with rhythm.

Basically speaking, conducting is quite a healthy profession.