“Part of what makes music so interesting is the lack of consensus on just about any given topic.” Quote by Michael Hersch
“If somebody responds positively to what I'm doing - if there is a connection - that can be very meaningful. If someone reacts with displeasure, confusion, hostility, well, that is not pleasant, and can often be upsetting.” IfsWellsConnectionsMeaningfulConfusionUpsetPleasantPositivelyHostilityOften IsVery MeanDispleasureVery Meaningful Author:Michael Hersch
“My own goals center around writing the best music that I can, and only I can determine whether or not I've succeeded in accomplishing that.” WritingI CanGoalMy OwnDetermine Author:Michael Hersch
“I write because the act of writing itself is what drives me. It's a private communication within myself - nothing more or less. This doesn't mean I do not want to share with people.” PeopleWantWritingMeanShareCommunication Author:Michael Hersch
“There are times I'm completely uncomfortable with my works being performed publicly, and I haven't attended certain concerts because the prospect is akin to having a diary read on stage. But there are also situations - whether with an audience of one, or many - where the concert experience can be deeply special, and those experiences are often unpredictable, and wonderful when they occur.” CertainSituationAudienceWonderfulSpecialStageHavensUncomfortableConcertsUnpredictableDiariesAudience Of One Author:Michael Hersch
“I don't think performance out of duty yields very much. Coercion is never the way to go.” ThinkingWayDutyPerformancesYieldCoercion Author:Michael Hersch
“If people want insights, if they want to swim in the currents of their own time and share the experiences of their time, then it makes sense to engage with the artists of one's own time.” PeopleIfsWantArtistShareCurrentsInsightMake SenseSwim Author:Michael Hersch
“While I believe there is certainly a phenomenon of timelessness in art, the people writing today can comment on today in an exclusive manner.” PeopleWritingBelieveArtTodayCoursesI BelievePhenomenonCommentQualifiedTimelessness Author:Michael Hersch
“I do believe young people should be obligated to try different types of music - that is what education is. But once you're in a situation as an adult, it doesn't benefit anybody - at least in my experience - to force music on people that they don't like or do not have an interest in - whether it's three-hundred years old or newly written.” PeopleShouldTryingYearsBelieveDifferentYoungThreeForceInterestSituationWrittenTypeBenefitsHundredAdultsDifferent Types Of Music Author:Michael Hersch
“The best results come when people believe in and feel strongly about the music they are playing. Just as composers write for certain types of performers, performers are also looking for certain things.” PeopleFeelsWritingBelieveCertainResultsTypePerformersComposer Author:Michael Hersch
“The proliferation of new music groups and individual performers focusing on new music today is heartening. On the one hand the culture is very resistant to new things, and yet it continues to change and grow.” HandsTodayCultureIndividualGrowsGroupsPerformersNew ThingsProliferationNew MusicGroups And Individuals Author:Michael Hersch