Philip Glass’s Lincoln Symphony premiere shifts from Washington’s Kennedy Center to Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood
A planned Washington debut is replaced by a Massachusetts performance
The world premiere of Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 15, titled “Lincoln,” is set to take place in Massachusetts this summer after the composer withdrew the work from a previously scheduled debut in Washington, D.C. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced it will perform the symphony at Tanglewood on July 5, 2026.
The piece had been scheduled for a June 12–13, 2026 premiere in Washington by the National Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Karen Kamensek listed for those performances. Glass publicly announced in late January 2026 that he was pulling the premiere from the Kennedy Center, saying the institution’s current leadership and values were in conflict with the message of a symphony built around Abraham Lincoln.
What the work is, and what text it uses
Symphony No. 15 is described as a portrait of Lincoln and incorporates excerpts from Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address, delivered in Springfield, Illinois. The address is widely known for its warning about the dangers of mob violence and the fragility of democratic institutions. The use of that text places the new symphony within Glass’ long-running interest in works centered on historical figures and civic themes.
Institutional upheaval at the Kennedy Center forms the backdrop
Glass’ decision came amid a broader period of turmoil at the Kennedy Center. In late 2025, the Center’s board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the institution, a move that prompted objections from some lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family and raised questions about naming authority. The renaming decision was followed by multiple cancellations and withdrawals across the performing arts calendar, with several high-profile artists and organizations ending or reconsidering engagements tied to the venue.
The Washington National Opera, a longtime resident company, announced in January 2026 that it would move performances away from the Kennedy Center and pursue an independent path, citing financial constraints after leadership changes at the Center.
What the Boston move means for the premiere schedule
The shift to Tanglewood places the first performance of the “Lincoln” symphony in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer season, rather than in Washington’s primary federal performing arts complex. The Boston engagement does not automatically resolve what, if anything, will happen to the earlier Washington dates, but it establishes a new premiere venue and date.
Originally scheduled premiere: June 12–13, 2026, Washington, D.C.
New announced premiere: July 5, 2026, Tanglewood (Massachusetts)
Work: Philip Glass, Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln,” featuring excerpts from the 1838 Lyceum Address
The dispute centers on how a major American cultural institution is governed and branded, and how artists respond when programming decisions intersect with leadership and public identity.
For Boston-area audiences, the announcement positions Tanglewood as the first stop for a new Glass symphony tied to one of the most frequently invoked texts in American civic life—arriving in a summer already shaped by high visibility debates over arts leadership and institutional direction.