Philip Glass has yanked his new Symphony No. 15, titled Lincoln, from a planned June premiere at the Kennedy Center, saying the institution's leadership no longer lines up with his musical portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Instead, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will now roll out the world premiere at Tanglewood on July 5, with conductor Karen Kamensek on the podium and baritone Zachary James in the vocal spotlight. A debut that was supposed to belong to Washington has suddenly become both a statement about cultural leadership and a major coup for Boston's summer season.
Glass told the Kennedy Center board in late January that he felt obligated to cancel the premiere because the institution's present "values... are in direct conflict" with the message of the symphony, according to the AP. His move followed a contentious leadership shake-up at the center and a board vote that led crews to attach President Trump's name to the venue's façade in December 2025, as reported by The Washington Post.
New Home: Tanglewood Premiere
The Boston Symphony announced in March that it will unveil Glass's eight-movement Lincoln at Tanglewood's Koussevitzky Music Shed on July 5, with Kamensek conducting and James featured as baritone soloist, per the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The concert caps a four-day "Celebrate America 250" weekend and pairs Glass's new score with Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait and selections from John Williams's music for Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln. Tickets for the July 5 program went on sale in early March.
What the Symphony Says
The work sets excerpts from Abraham Lincoln's speeches and writings, including the 1838 Lyceum Address and reflections written after the Emancipation Proclamation, and its music wrestles with the fragility of democracy, reporting shows. In an email to reporters, Kamensek called the chosen texts "extremely powerful and thought provoking," according to the Boston Globe. With Lincoln's own words set against Glass's minimalist textures, the piece functions as both a historical portrait and, for some listeners, a pointed commentary on public life.
Why This Matters Locally
For Boston audiences, the switch hands the BSO a national spotlight and drops an unusually politicized world premiere into the Berkshires in the middle of a high-profile summer lineup. The withdrawal also joins a string of artist departures that critics and performers have linked to recent changes at the Kennedy Center, a pattern noted by the AP. Expect an outsized media presence and a crowd of classical diehards watching closely when the Koussevitzky Shed fills on July 5.
