The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced that it will present the world premiere of **Philip Glass’ new Symphony No. 15, Lincoln on 5 July at Tanglewood, the orchestra’s summer home in the Berkshires.
The performance will be conducted by Karen Kamensek and will feature baritone Zachary James alongside the Boston Symphony Orchestra. According to the orchestra, the concert will conclude a four-day celebration at Tanglewood marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The announcement follows Glass’s decision earlier this year to withdraw the symphony from its planned premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. The work had been commissioned several years ago for the centre’s 50th anniversary and was scheduled to receive its first performance in June by the National Symphony Orchestra.
In a letter shared with the press in January, Glass asked that the orchestra not perform the symphony, saying the institution’s current direction was “in direct conflict” with the message of the work. Symphony No. 15, Lincoln is based on **Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address.
Glass’s withdrawal came amid a period of growing controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center following recent leadership changes under Richard Grenell. Several artists have cancelled appearances at the venue in recent months.
With the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s announcement, the highly anticipated new symphony will now receive its first performance at Tanglewood this summer, ensuring that Glass’s latest orchestral work reaches the stage despite the earlier cancellation in Washington.
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