Philip Morris Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American music composer. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the late-20th century[1][2][3] and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public (along with precursors such as Richard Strauss, Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein). Although his music is often, though controversially, described as minimalist, he distances himself from this label, describing himself instead as a composer of "music with repetitive structures".