The Philip Glass Ensemble (PGE) comprises the principal performers of Philip Glass's music. In 1968, Glass founded the PGE in New York City as a laboratory for his compositions. Its purpose was to develop a performance practice that could meet the unprecedented technical and artistic demands of his music. By pioneering this approach, the PGE became a vital creative source for Glass, and its members remain unparalleled interpreters of his work.

The artists of the PGE recognize their unique place in the history of music over the past fifty years, and passing on this legacy is a fundamental part of their mission. They are deeply committed to educating the next generation of artists in the authentic practice of Philip Glass’s music.

The PGE made its debut in 1969 at the Whitney Museum of American Art and, in its early years, performed primarily in galleries, artist lofts, and museums in SoHo’s thriving artistic community. Over the next five decades, the PGE performed at major music festivals and concert halls across five continents and recorded with Sony, Nonesuch, and Orange Mountain Music.

Many of Philip Glass’s most celebrated works were composed specifically for the PGE, including:

• Core concert pieces: Music in Twelve Parts, Music in Similar Motion, Music with Changing Parts
• Operas and music theater works: Einstein on the Beach, Hydrogen Jukebox, 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, Monsters of Grace
• Dance works: Dance (Lucinda Childs) and A Descent Into the Maelström (Australian Dance Theater).

The PGE is widely recognized for its soundtracks to Godfrey Reggio’s trilogy of experimental films: Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi. It is also featured in Glass’s operas La Belle et la Bête and The Photographer.

In May 2024, the PGE performed Music in Twelve Parts on the same stage in New York City where the piece premiered 50 years earlier.

For more information: www.philipglassensemble.com