The conductor must make it possible to eliminate himself…

The game is if the orchestra can hear each other, they play better. If they play better and there's a tangible feeling between the…

— Frank Gehry

If you think about how long it takes to write a piece of music for an orchestra, it's outrageous to me, outrageous.

— Gail Zappa

I, uh...I have a television, so I'm going to spend some time here to tell you some things. [To orchestra conductor:] And, and...and sir,…

— Julia Roberts

The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.

— Benjamin Zander

What appeals to me about an American music directorship is the involvement of the conductor with the orchestra and the community. I think that's…

— Jeffrey Tate

Before Liszt, a conductor was someone who just facilitated the performance, who would keep people together or beat the time, indicate the entries. After…

— Stephen Hough

By the end of Pop's life I wanted to give something back and when I came on board as his musical director he needed…

— Frank Sinatra Jr

I think it's a very important collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra - especially when the conductor is one more member of the…

— Gustavo Dudamel

The conductor wielded the orchestra like a blunt instrument.

— John Lydon

We should think of the church as an orchestra in which the different churches play on different instruments while a Divine Conductor calls the…

— William Ralph Inge

The symphony orchestra had played poorly, so the conductor was in a bad mood. That night he beat his wife--because the music hadn't been…

— George Carlin

Today's parents have little authority over those others with whom they share the task of raising their children. On the contrary,most parents deal with…

— Kenneth Keniston

I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra…

— Charles Hazlewood

On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…

— Eberhard Weber

I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just…

— Itzhak Perlman