PROTEST SONGS

Secretary of State John Kerry recently named a special coordinator for Tibetan issues, and China — surprise! — is displeased. The longtime standoff between these two cosmically mismatched powers provides the customary backdrop to minimalist composer Philip Glass’s 24th annual benefit for Tibet House, which packs a festival’s worth of dependably eclectic performers into Carnegie Hall for a night of intercultural consciousness raising. Following an invocation by Drepung Gomang monks, this year’s lineup includes New Order, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and members of the National; Tibetan traditionalist Techung; and Glass protégé Nico Muhly. While some of the evening’s more charming moments inevitably arise from Glass’s casual piano accompaniment, expect Smith to bring down the suitably opulent house.

Tue., March 11, 7:30 p.m., 2014