Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937, Baltimore) is an American composer and pianist widely regarded as one of the defining figures of late-20th-century music. His output - built on repeating phrases and shifting harmonic layers - spans 15 operas, 15 symphonies, 12 concertos and a large body of film scores, including three Academy Award-nominated soundtracks. Works such as the opera Einstein on the Beach (1976) and the film score Koyaanisqatsi established him as the central voice of musical minimalism, an influence that reaches from Hans Zimmer to Radiohead.
Tao of Glass, a theatrical collaboration between Glass and director Phelim McDermott featuring ten new Glass compositions, opens its West End premiere at @sohoplace in London, running 24 July to 12 September 2026.
Glass received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th World Soundtrack Awards at Film Fest Gent, with a concert of his film music performed by the Brussels Philharmonic.
Glass appeared as composer on the short film Vanessa Wagner & Philip Glass: Etude Nº 17, listed among his 2025 screen credits.
The Philip Glass Ensemble performed at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee in March 2025.
The West End premiere of Tao of Glass was officially announced in February 2026, with Glass describing it as 'a true theater collaboration, the culmination of many years of deep admiration and respect'.
