Philip Glass Awarded the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize

Philip Glass Awarded the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize

TORONTO, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --



A fearlessly innovative, collaborative and prolific composer



American composer Philip Glass has been chosen as the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize
Laureate. Through his operas, symphonies, film scores, compositions for ensembles, and
wide-ranging collaborations with artists from many disciplines, Philip Glass has had an
extraordinary impact on the musical, artistic and intellectual life of his times.



"Our jury has made a brilliant choice in selecting Philip Glass," said Brian Levine,
Executive Director of The Glenn Gould Foundation. "At the start of his career his music
was seen as radical and even derided for being contrary to the prevailing musical current,
but his work advanced solidly until it permeated our cultural consciousness; it has
exerted a profound influence on a whole generation of composers, filmmakers, dramatists
and opera directors. In his work and life, he reveals himself to be a man of deep
spirituality and conscience as reflected in the themes of his operatic creations and film
scores. We are honoured to present the Prize to an artist of such originality, conviction
and vision."



"I am very pleased to be the winner of the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize. It is for me a
special honor as I am one of the many musicians who have been inspired by him. Glenn
Gould's name is associated with a lifetime of excellence in music interpretation and
performance. Also I am aware that this award places me in the company of some of the most
celebrated names in the broad spectrum of the music of our time. It is, therefore, with
great pleasure that I accept this award," stated Philip Glass.



"I am thrilled with our choice of Laureate," said Bob Ezrin, Chair of the Glenn Gould
Prize Jury. "Philip Glass is one of the towering figures of modern music. With an iconic
career that has spanned fifty years, his body of work is unrivalled in its breadth and
depth. He not only helped to reclaim tonality as a vital force in serious music, he took
minimalism and brought it from the fringes of the avant-garde to the mainstream where it
has literally provided the subscore to most of our lives. We hear his music and music he
has influenced on stage and screen - virtually everywhere. Finally he is a man of
principle and deep spirituality who has used his art to help elevate humanity. On behalf
of the jury, I can say that we couldn't be more proud of this decision."



A prolific and respected composer, his early work is associated with the minimalist
movement, although Glass preferred to speak of himself as a composer of "music with
repetitive structures." He has written a large collection of new music for the Philip
Glass Ensemble, which he founded in the late 1960s and with which he still performs on
keyboards. His operas, including one of his best known works, the landmark Einstein on the
Beach, along with Satyagraha, Akhnaten, and The Voyage have played throughout the world's
major opera houses. His repertoire includes music for dance, opera, chamber ensemble,
orchestra, experimental theatre and film, including the Academy Award-winning The Hours
for which he received a Best Score nomination, and the iconic Koyaanisqatsi. Since the
1960s, Glass has collaborated with artists from pop, rock and world music plus the worlds
of dance and film including Twyla Tharp, Woody Allen, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Paul
Simon, Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma, to name a few, garnering him a wide,
multi-generational audience.



Philip Glass was chosen from a distinguished list of international candidates
nominated by the general public and will receive a cash award and the Glenn Gould Prize
statue by Canadian artist Ruth Abernethy. This year, The Glenn Gould Foundation has
announced that it will double the award to $100,000 (CAD). Mr. Glass will choose an
outstanding young artist to receive The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize of
$15,000 (CAD), an individual who embodies the qualities of creative promise, innovation
and career potential demonstrated by Gould in his youth. The recipient of the Protégé
Prize will be announced later this year. Both Mr. Glass and his protégé will receive
their awards at a gala ceremony and their work will be honoured through a series of public
events presented within the next twelve months.



The Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize Jury included singer, actress and composer Petula
Clark, CBE (UK); author and broadcaster The Right HonourableAdrienne Clarkson,PC, CC, COM,
CMM, CD (Canada); tenor Jay Hunter Morris (United States); arts philanthropist HRH Julie
of Luxembourg (Switzerland/United States), Prospero Pictures president, and chairman of
the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television Martin Katz (Canada); pipa virtuoso and Grammy
Award-nominee Wu Man (China/United States); Booker Prize-winning novelist and poet Michael
Ondaatje, OC (Canada); renowned actor, director, and writer Sarah Polley, OC (Canada); and
acclaimed soprano Deborah Voigt (United States).



About The Glenn Gould Prize
An international symbol of creative excellence, The Glenn Gould Prize is awarded
biennially to a living individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the
human condition through the arts. A tribute to Glenn Gould's artistry and his multifaceted
contributions to culture, the prize promotes the vital connection between artistic
excellence and the transformation of lives. Past laureates include Robert Lepage (2013),
Leonard Cohen (2011), Dr. José Antonio Abreu (2008) founder of El Sistema, Pierre Boulez
(2002), Yo-Yo Ma (1999), Oscar Peterson (1993) and Lord Yehudi Menuhin (1990). For more
information visit http://www.glenngould.ca.



Media Contact: Karen Lorenowicz, KL Strategic Communications, +1-416-245-2475,
karen.lorenowicz@gmail.com




Glenn Gould Foundation


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