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 {…}
(Photo: Joost Milde) Amsterdam’s Opera Forward Festival played it safe with a staging of Philip Glass’s “Les Enfants Terrible,” not that it was any less enjoyable for the fact. Glass’s operas can, with their mix of strong, thought-provoking narratives and accessible, exciting and energetic music, almost guarantee to bring in the audiences. And this was certainly the case here. Written {…}
San Francisco Performances announces its 2026-27 season. Here’s a look at the classical voice events. Tenor Nicholas Phan and pianist Myra Huang give the concert, “Fellow Citizens.” The program featuring works by Franz Schubert, Ruth Crawford Seeger, as well as a new work by Shawn Kkpebholo that reflects on contrasting narratives in American history. Performance Date: October 22, 2026 Soprano {…}
(Credit: By Pasquale Salerno) The Boston Symphony Orchestra will give the world premiere of Philip Glass‘s Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” on July 5 at 2:30 p.m. at Tanglewood. The eight-movement symphony is conducted by Karen Kamensek, with baritone Zachary James as soloist — both making their Tanglewood debuts. The work draws on some of Lincoln’s most significant texts, opening with {…}
Philip Glass has pulled his new symphony from the National Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming June concerts at the Kennedy Center. The famed composer released a letter stating, “After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the {…}
Vancouver Opera is set to present “88 Years, 88 Keys: Celebrating the Music of Philip Glass.” The free concert will be held on Jan. 31 at the Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall and will be part of Vancouver Opera’s VOICES concert series and is supported by TD. In a statement, Tom Wright, General Director of Vancouver Opera said, “Philip Glass’s music {…}
Fairytales have not been kind to stepmothers. Usually depicted as jealous, manipulative and vicious, with a predilection for maltreating, disinheriting and murdering their stepchildren, stepmothers are probably on par with another favorite hate figure of the genre, the wicked witch. A typical example is found in “The Juniper Tree,” taken from Grimms’ Fairytales, published in 1812. This stepmother is not {…}
(Photo Credit: Scott Suchman) Throughout this new series, we will be looking at the history of American opera beginning in the 2000s to the present through a revisit of certain iconic works of the decade and OperaWire’s coverage of them throughout the 21st century. In this first part, we will look at the development of American opera during the 2000s, {…}
(Photo Credit: NYU Skirball) “Tao of Glass,” starring actor and director Phelim McDermott with music by Philip Glass, premiered at NYU’s Skirball Theater this past week. I had the pleasure of attending the show on Friday, March 31st, 2023. Though the performance suffered from a technical malfunction—which I will address later in my article because it affected the performance—it is {…}
(Credit: By Pasquale Salerno) Moore Opera Center in Houston, Texas will showcase Philip Glass’ “La Belle et la Bête” starting on Oct. 20, 2022. This represents the Texas premiere of the full-orchestra version of the work, which gives Jean Cocteau’s iconic film an operatic interpretation. In the opera, Glass replaces the original dialogue with his own music with the singers {…}
Opera Maine is set to present Philip Glass’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” on June 29 and July 1, 2022. The cast includes Marcel Sokalski as William, Joseph Tancredi as Roderick Usher, Gabrielle Clutter as Madeline Usher, Miguel Pedroza as Servant, and Joseph Sacchi as Physician. The opera will be conducted by Jackson McKinnon and directed by Richard {…}