Hi sorry for taking so long. It took me a while to reset everything
To answer your questions 1) Absolutely. Had I not grown up in a family that taught me to appreciate all kinds of music, the piece probably would have ended up differently
2) Its corny but the best line to ever describe an answer to this question is from Pretty Woman: "People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul."
Every piece of music... every word of poetry influences me whether I like it or not.
I hope this helps and thank you for the lovely words about my work.