Biography

I feel there should always be a piece in there for every listener to love, and one to hate. I like challenging people but also giving them what they want.

When I was a kid I said, 'If I'm not an old man with white hair, I can't be a conductor'. But that's not what music comes from. It comes from your soul, your mind, your grit, your experience as a person, and the way you relate to people. There's only one thing you can do when you get to the podium, and if I am a 31-year-old woman who likes to dress like a woman, then I am happy to be that.

When the whole orchestra is engaged in the moment and being completely selfless, something incredible happens at a human level and a spiritual level. Very few people can say they go to work with a hundred people simultaneously and the common goal is to make people happy.

I became fascinated by the idea of a conductor. I think that it was explained to me that the conductor is the one that puts everything together and makes everyone do their best and has the whole score in their mind - all these magical things I thought were unreachable.