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Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Philip Glass is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, Glass spent two years of intensive study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, earning money by transcribing Ravi Shankar Indian music into Western notation.

By 1974, Glass had a number of innovative projects creating a large collection of new music for the Philip Glass Ensemble and for the Mabou Mines Theater Company. This period culminated in Music in Twelve Parts and the landmark opera Einstein on the Beach, for which he collaborated with Robert Wilson. Since Einstein, Glass has expanded his repertoire to include music for opera, dance, theater, chamber ensemble, orchestra, and film. His scores have received Academy Award® nominations (Kundun, The Hours, Notes on a Scandal) and a Golden Globe for The Truman Show. Glass also composed an opera on the death of Walt Disney, The Perfect American (co-commissioned by Teatro Real, Madrid and the English National Opera); a touring production of Einstein on the Beach; the publication of Glass’s memoir, Words Without Music by Liveright Books; and the premiere of the revised version of Glass opera Appomattox, in collaboration with librettist Christopher Hampton, at the Washington National Opera in November 2015.

Glass celebrated his 80th birthday on January 31, 2017, with the world premiere of Symphony No. 11 at Carnegie Hall. His 80th birthday season featured curated programming around the globe: including the U.S. premieres of operas The Trial and The Perfect American; and world premieres of several works, including Piano Concerto No. 3, String Quartet No. 8, and his first Piano Quintet.

Other accolades include the U.S. National Medal of the Arts, presented to Glass by President Barack Obama in 2015. In 2016, Glass was named the 11th recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize, a lifetime achievement award given to prominent musicians. He was also honored to hold Carnegie Hall Richard and Barbara Debs Composer Chair throughout the 2017-2018 season. In 2019, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented the world premiere of Glass Symphony No. 12, based on David Bowie’s album Lodger and a completion of three symphonies based on Bowie Berlin Trilogy. Glass continues to perform solo piano evenings, chamber music evenings with world renowned musicians, and regularly appears with the Philip Glass Ensemble.

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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

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