Composed by Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal and renowned American composer Philip Glass, in collaboration with pianist-composer Alex Ring Gray, Be the Sky is a new collection of works for piano quintet and string quartet. This world premiere performance features Choegyal, Gray, and the 2× Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet, with collaborative performances by Skidmore College students and faculty.
Choegyal, known for blending Tibetan musical traditions with contemporary soundscapes, reunites with Glass—one of the most influential figures in modern classical music—to offer works that meditate on resilience, devotion, and spiritual connection. The program previews music from the forthcoming album Be the Sky, to be released this November on Glass’s Orange Mountain Music label. As part of that project, the single “Snowy Mountains – Gangri”—featuring Choegyal, pianist Alex Ring Gray, the Scorchio Quartet, and over 100 children from the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala—was released on July 4 in honor of the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The recording is a heartfelt homage, setting a traditional long-life prayer to Glass’s signature minimalism and Choegyal’s soaring vocals.
Additional Info
This event is pay-what-you-will—while donations are optional, your contribution helps keep tickets accessible to all. Reserve up to 6 tickets per order. To request tickets for a class or group of 7 or more, please email Teresa Rockwell at trockwell@skidmore.edu.