Raised in Baltimore, Maryland

Began studying the violin at age 6 and the flute at age 8

Was composer-in-residence, Pittsburgh Public Schools

Went to Paris on a Fulbright grant to study with Nadia Boulanger

While in Paris, hired to transcribe the Indian music of Ravi Shankar in notation readable by French musicians for the soundtrack to the film "Chappaqua"

First gained modicum of notice with "Music for Play", composed for a Mabou Mimes productions

Hitchhiked through Africa and India, after which he returned to New York

Formed the Philip Glass Ensemble

With wife JoAnne Akalaitis and others, co-founded Mabou Mines theater coompany (date approximate)

Created his own Chatham Square Productions in order to record his works

Composed the six-hour piece "Music In 12 Parts", considered a landmark in minimalism

Signed by the British rock label Virgin

Feature debut, as an actor, appearing in the experimental drama, "What Maisie Knew"

Composed first opera, "Einstein on the Beach," which toured throughout the USA and Europe; collaborated with stage director and scenic designer Robert Wilson

First feature music credit, "North Star: Mark Disuvero"

Composed the opera "Satyagraha"

Signed an exclusive composer's contract with CBS Masterworks, and released "Glassworks"

First collaboration with Godfrey Reggio, "Koyaanisqatsi"

Debut as a song performer, also credited for songs, Jim McBride's remake of "Breathless"

Appeared as himself in "Modern American Composers I"

Early TV music credit for the PBS special, "High Wire"

Contributed score to Paul Schrader's "Mishima: A Life in Four Acts"

Was resident composer, Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Colaborated with director-wife JoAnne Akalaitis on documentary "Dead End Kids"

Premiere broadcast on PBS of "Einstein on the Beach"

Reteamed with Reggio for "Powaqqatsi"

Provided score that heightened the hypnotic effect of Errol Morris' landmark documentary "The Thin Blue Line"

Collaborated with David Henry Hwang and Jerome Sirlin on the performance piece "1000 Airplanes on the Roof"

First on-screen TV appearance, also credited for music and as a music performer, "Timeless Voices: The Gyuto Monks" (The Discovery Channel)

Network TV debut, provided music for the ABC special, "Peter Jennings Reporting: Guns"

Began composing a trilogy of operas using films of Jean Cocteau as librettos ("Orphee", "La Belle et la Bete" and "Les Enfants Terribles")

Third teaming with Godfrey Reggio, "Anima Mundi/The Soul of the World"

Credited for music supervision on the feature, "Closet Land"

Second collaboration with Errol Morris, "A Brief History of Time"

Wrote music for the eerie psychological thriller "Candyman"

Provided music for "Compassion in Exile: The Story of the 14th Dalai Lama", originally broadcast on PBS

Premiered the opera "The Voyage", a commission from New York City's Metropolitan Opera

Scored the sequel "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh"

Enhanced sparse visual look of Sean Mathias' "Bent"

Composed score for Martin Scorsese's "Kundun", a film biography of the Dalai Lama

One of five collaborations with director-designer Wilson, "White Raven (O Corvo Blanco)", premiered in Lisbon; commissioned ten years earlier, it told the story of Portugueese explorer Vasco da Gamma

Contributed to the musical score for the motion picture "The Truman Show"

Composed new score for the 1931 classic "Dracula"

In honor of his 65th birthday, premiered "Symphony No. 6"

Reteamed with Godfrey Reggio for "Naqoyqatasi", the third in the trilogy of films

Composed score for the feature drama "The Hours"; received nominations for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Score; earned a grammy nomination

Composed the music for the feature "Secret Window"

Composed the score for Neil Burger's "The Illusionist"

Received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for Richard Eyre's "Notes on a Scandal"