"I never thought I'd look forward to turning 70," Reich said. "To say I'm honored is definitely an understatement."

The BAM portion of the celebration, which begins on Reich's birthday, will include the U.S. premiere of Akram Khan's Variations for Vibes, Pianos, and Strings, set to a new work by Reich, and two works by Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker set to his Piano Phase and Violin Phase.

Carnegie Hall will host a professional training workshop for young musicians directed by Reich, culminating with a performance of his music on October 18. On October 21, three works are performed by the artists who premiered them: guitarist Pat Metheny performs Electric Counterpoint, the Kronos Quartet plays Different Trains, and Steve Reich and Musicians plays Music for 18 Musicians. Finally, Reich will be featured on October 22 in Carnegie's "Making Music" series, which mixes conversation with performance. The program includes the American premiere of Daniel Variations, a tribute to the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl.

At Lincoln Center, the Los Angeles Master Chorale will perform Tehillim and give the U.S. premiere of Reich's You Are (Variations) on October 28. From November 2 to 4, the Steve Reich Ensemble will accompany performances of the music theater work The Cave, a 1993 collaboration with video artist Beryl Korot.

Reich was part of the first generation of minimalists, and his early works, including the seminal Drumming, were built around simple, repetitive patterns. His music makes use of taped sounds and speech, African and Balinese drumming and other non-Western music, and, most recently, video.