By David Smooke
The only way for an artist to continually create work that avoids failure is to create work that never truly succeeds.

By David Smooke
By reframing the debate, we might be able to remind people that the arts are a vital part of a thriving economy.

By David Smooke
I hope that we can continue to share our favorite reminiscences of Babbitt so that the next generation can understand some of the reasons why he is so well loved.

By David Smooke
Where do ideas come from?

By David Smooke
When I was in my mid-twenties, I attempted to train myself to survive on as little sleep as possible and over time reduced my sleep time in half to have more time for composing; my experiment ended with a near-fatal bout of pericarditis followed by two years of exhaustion with little ability to concentrate as I healed.

By David Smooke
To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the composerly life is the continuing search for balance between quiet time alone and periods of social activity.

By David Smooke
I am heartened to learn of the relatively new and surprisingly powerful tools for matching visionaries with sympathetic audiences.

By David Smooke
That the longest night of the year is bisected by such a beautiful phenomenon allows for a pause in my daily routine and for me to consider my connection with those who preceded me, who might have wondered whether the moon would ever reappear.

By David Smooke
While I believe every aspect of composers’ lives should be considered work, I also believe that in order to live a balanced life we should allow room for play.

By David Smooke
For people with a standard job, work time is by definition any time spent at the place of business. Meanwhile, composers go to concerts, listen to music, play music, and often sit idly staring out a window.