Philip Glass Ensemble

Established by composer Philip Glass, the first performance by the Philip Glass Ensemble was held in May 1969 at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, City. Embraced first by the visual art community working in SoHo in the early 1970’s, the early concerts performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble were considered visual as well as musical events and were often performed in art galleries, artist lofts, and museum spaces rather than traditional performing art centers.

Since that time, the members of the PGE have become known as the premiere performers of the music of Philip Glass and continue to be an inspiration for new work. Over the past thirty years, the group has performed on four continents in some of the most prestigious music festivals and concert venues throughout the world. They have been featured in Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach as well as the music theater projects Hydrogen Jukebox; 1000 Airplanes on the Roof; The Photographer; La Belle et la Bête; and Monsters of Grace.

In June 2004, in Athens, Greece, Glass premiered Orion, a new work for ensemble and world musicians commissioned by the Cultural Olympiad 2001-2004. Following its world premiere in Athens, Orion was performed in Greece, Italy, France, London, Australia, as well as cities in the United States.

The Philip Glass Ensemble tours regularly with Music in Twelve Parts, Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, La Belle et la Bête, and Dracula. In 2012-5, they also appeared in the international revival of Robert Wilson and Philip Glass’s seminal opera, Einstein on the Beach remounted in honor of the composer’s 75th Birthday season.