Philip Glass

Composer

Through his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times. The operas – “Einstein on the Beach,” “Satyagraha,” “Akhnaten,” and “The Voyage,” among many others – play throughout the world’s leading houses, and rarely to an empty seat. Glass has written music for experimental theater and for Academy Award-winning motion pictures such as “The Hours” and Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun,” while “Koyaanisqatsi,” his initial filmic landscape with Godfrey Reggio and the Philip Glass Ensemble, may be the most radical and influential mating of sound and vision since “Fantasia.” His associations, personal and professional, with leading rock, pop and world music artists date back to the 1960s, including the beginning of his collaborative relationship with artist Robert Wilson. Indeed, Glass is the first composer to win a wide, multi-generational audience in the opera house, the concert hall, the dance world, in film and in popular music – simultaneously.

excerpt from philipglass.com

Jean Cocteau

Filmmaker

Jean Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, and visual artist whose avant-garde vision left a lasting impact on multiple artistic disciplines. His 1946 masterpiece, La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty and the Beast), is considered one of the most visually stunning and innovative films of its time. Drawing from the classic fairy tale, creating an ethereal, almost hypnotic atmosphere. The film’s use of practical effects, striking cinematography, and poetic dialogue transformed a traditional story into a cinematic marvel that continues to inspire filmmakers today.