There will be a plethora of high-profile performances in honor of Philip Glass‘s 90th birthday on January 31, 2027.

Among the most hotly anticipated is the world premiere of “Symphony No. 15: Lincoln,” a work for baritone and orchestra based on the speeches and letters of Abraham Lincoln, to be presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood on July 5, 2026. Subsequent premieres follow across the United States and abroad, culminating in the New York premiere on January 31, 2027 by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall and the UK premiere the same day at the Southbank Centre. Notably, Glass withdrew the work from its originally planned debut at the Kennedy Center, stating that the values of the institution under its current leadership are “in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”

The celebration also marks the 50th anniversary of “Einstein on the Beach,” which premiered at the Avignon Festival on July 25, 1976. Anniversary events include a worldwide concert tour from the Philip Glass Ensemble, a European tour from ICTUS and Collegium Vocale Gent, and a new production directed by Phelim McDermott to premiere in June 2027 at Aviva Studios in Manchester, created by English National Opera, Factory International, Park Avenue Armory, and Improbable.

Opera revivals and new productions include a concert presentation of “Akhnaten” at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on June 6, 2026, and Barrie Kosky’s “Akhnaten” production returning to Berlin in January 2027. The Glass’ “Cocteau Trilogy,” which includes “Orphée,” “Les Enfants Terribles,” and “La Belle et la Bête,” will receive new productions in Germany and France, while two rarely performed works, “Waiting for the Barbarians” and “The Juniper Tree,” will see new productions in the Netherlands and Chicago, respectively. “Tao of Glass” will have its London West End premiere July 25 through September 12, 2026.