(Photo Credit: Paula Lobo)

The Juilliard School presented alum and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Steve Reich with its President’s Medal on Tuesday, Sept. 22, ahead of a concert celebrating his 90th year.

Juilliard president Damian Woetzel bestowed the honor, which recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact on the arts and served as significant role models at Juilliard and in the wider performing arts community. Following the presentation was “The New Series | Steve Reich @ 90,” a concert featuring Juilliard students performing works by the composer.

Reich, who studied composition at the school and received an honorary doctorate in 2009, spoke before the performance speaking about his life and work and afterward, he took part in a Q & A session with David Serkin Ludwig, dean and director of the Music Division and chair of the Composition Department.

“You have transformed the possibilities of music itself, establishing a unique artistic language whose influence has reached far beyond concert halls,” Woetzel said, per an official press release. “At Juilliard, your example has a special resonance. You’ve shown generations of young artists that originality can emerge from discipline and curiosity, that listening can itself be a form of discovery, and that among a composer’s deepest contributions can be changing the way others understand what music can be.”