It's hard to imagine that he has any time left to be a husband and father, but he does. Composers who have influenced him include Aaron Copland, Frances Macbeth, and David Holsinger. Their work is exciting. It speaks to me. Hilliard's approach to composing varies with the piece.
Music is an emotion, a feeling.
For the Olympic piece, there wasn't much research involved. I tried to picture myself winning a gold medal, and what music I would want to hear if I won one. Ghost Dance , on the other hand, was based upon an historical event. So I went out and researched that, got all the information I needed. Then the mind started to work.