Philip Glass

Through his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, and Woody Allen to David Bowie, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact on the musical and intellectual life of his times. His associations, personal and professional, with leading rock, pop, and world-music artists date back to the 1960s, including the beginning of his collaborative relationship with artist Robert Wilson. After studying at the university in his native Chicago and at the Julliard School in New York, Glass spent a period in Paris, working with Nadia Boulanger. But it was his meeting with the Indian musician Ravi Shankar and his discovery of the rhythmic patterns of Indian music that proved such a revelation that he withdrew all his earlier works. On his return to the United States in 1967, he formed his own ensemble, comprising electronic keyboards, winds, strings and vocal soloists, for whom he wrote 1 + 1, in which the soloist strikes his fingers on an amplified table-top. In 1976, his opera Einstein on the Beach, written in conjunction with Robert Wilson, was unveiled at the Avignon Festival. Much of his work was based on the extended reiteration of brief, elegant melodic fragments that wove in and out of an aural tapestry. That compositional minimalism has been and continues to be an obvious source of inspiration for electronic producers. In the past 25 years, Glass has composed more than 20 operas, eight symphonies, two piano concertos, and concertos for violin, piano, timpani, saxophone quartet, and orchestra, as well as film soundtracks. He presents lectures, workshops, and solo keyboard performances around the world and continues to appear regularly with the Philip Glass Ensemble.