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Born in Baltimore, Maryland on
January 31, 1937, Philip Glass began music lessons at age six.
At 19, Glass graduated from the University of Chicago with majors
in mathematics and philosophy. Determined to become a composer,
he moved to New York and attended the Julliard School. At age
23, was living in Paris and spent two years of intensive study
under Nadia Boulanger. In Paris, he was hired by a filmmaker to
transcribe the Indian music of Ravi Shankar into notation readable
to western musicians. In the process, he discovered the techniques
of Indian music. After researching music in North Africa, India
and the Himalayas, he returned to New York, renouncing his previous
music, and applying eastern techniques to his own work. By 1974,
Glass had involved himself in a number of significant and innovative
projects. This period culminated in Music in Twelve Parts, followed
by the landmark opera, Einstein on the Beach created with Robert
Wilson in 1976. Since Einstein, Glass has expanded his repertoire
to include music for opera, dance, theater, chamber ensemble,
orchestra, and film. His most recent film score for Stephen Daldry's
The Hours received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.
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