1000 Airplanes on the Roof is an opera by Philip Glass which featured lyrics by David Henry Hwang and projections by Jerome Sirlin . The work was commissioned by The Donau Festival Niederosterreich , The American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia , and The Berlin Cultural City of Europe in 1988. The opera premiered on July 15, 1988 at the Vienna International Airport in Hanger #3.

The performance featured vocals by Linda Ronstadt and was conducted by Michael Riesman .