Presented with Stanford Lively Arts In anticipation of Stanford Lively Arts’ West Coast premiere of Book of Longing, the Aurora Forum and Lively Arts present Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen together in conversation about their lives, works, and this unique collaboration. Book of Longing intertwines Glass’s signature musical style with Cohen’s images and recently published poetry collection of the same name. Book of Longing is a collection of 150 poems and song lyrics written mostly on Mount Baldy near Los Angeles where the poet spent 12 years in Zen training under the guidance of Joshu Sasaki Roshi. When Cohen went down the mountain to meet with composer Philip Glass and read from the manuscript that was the basis of this new collection, Glass immediately proposed that he create an evening-length musical work based on the poetry and illustrations. Join us for an evening that explores the hearts and minds of two great contemporary artists.

LEONARD COHEN
A Companion of the Order of Canada, Leonard Cohen was born in Montreal in 1934. Book of Longing is his thirteenth book and the first book of poetry to top Canadian bestseller lists. He has made seventeen albums, of which Dear Heather is the latest.

http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/LeonardCohen/bio.html

PHILIP GLASS
Philip Glass was born in Baltimore in 1937. Through his operas, symphonies, compositions for his own ensemble, and wide-ranging collaborations with leading artists, he has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of our times.

http://www.philipglass.com/bio.php

ALAN ACOSTA (moderator)
Alan Acosta is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is Associate Vice President and Director of University Communications at Stanford.