"I've traveled to so many places, but really it's a toss-up between Montana and Disneyland! I'm the Disney freak and my wife, Vicki, is from Billings, Mont. I really love going to stay with her folks, who live in Sula, about two hours from Missoula along the Bitterroot River. We get away from everything, leave the high action behind and head to Big Sky country."

How do you spend your time?

"My father-in-law, Gary, shows me how to fly-fish, I caught a pretty big trout once. Mostly I like to sit around doing nothing, staring into the sky; we relax for about a week. No instruments. That way I get away from everything, however, I do take a laptop, so that if I'm inspired, I can work."

(The Bitterroot River flows through magnificent Montana scenery. The Sapphire mountains rise to the east while the Bitterroot mountain range is to the west on the border with Idaho. The Bitterroot Valley itself is lush by Montana standards, and while it can get cold during the winter there, really cold days, like eastern and central Montana experiences, are the exception and not the rule. Fishing is best May through September, when the river clears from spring runoff and rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout are plentiful.)

Do you ever mix work with vacation?

"Sure, It's very easy to mix work and vacation; 80 percent of the time, if I'm traveling for work purposes, Vicki will come too. I have two step-kids, ages 13 and 15, and it's great family time when they come along.

"I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and growing up, I had an annual pass to Disneyland. It was a place to meet family and friends, so now it's a link to my childhood. My mom, Mavis Rivers, was a jazz singer who sang there, and I began my career as a sub musician playing bass drum in a Disney band. I'm one of those kids who grew up in the Disney park. My brother still lives in L.A. and, of course, he has an annual pass. Main Street, Disneyland, is the same now as when I was 2 years old."

What is your perfect day on vacation?

"We sleep in as long as possible, which is only until about 9 a.m. in Montana. Then we walk down to the river with a fishing pole, hopefully catch some trout and throw it on the barbecue; the idea is to do as little as possible. We sit and chat and (as you might guess from looking at me) look forward to dinner. If we're not eating the catch of the day, then I definitely like to eat a good steak."

What do you never travel without?

"My laptop. I need it for e-mail but also for everything I do with the Honolulu Symphony, including the huge amount of music I now write. I'm lucky that music is my career but also my hobby. I'm just as happy working outside on a table in the country as in an office ... it's relaxing."

What is best about coming home to Hawai'i?

"It's not L.A.! It's paradise. I feel like Hawai'i is as close to my home as my heart feels. I've been here full time professionally since 1998."

Where next?