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Philip Glass b. 1937

After studying at the Juilliard School of Music as well as in Paris, American composer Philip Glass began to write unique music and formed his own musical group, the Philip Glass Ensemble. Through his operas, symphonies, and compositions, as well as collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to David Bowie, Glass has had an extraordinary impact on 20th-century music. His operas include Einstein on the Beach (1976) and Satyagraha (1980) and his film scores include The Hours (2002) and the Godfrey Reggio's 1962 film Koyaanisqatsi. Glass's early work is considered minimalist, but he describes himself as a classicist, a composer of "music with repetitive structures."