The rumor that year two of Philip Glass’ Days and Nights Festival has stalled is not true, but fans can expect a dramatically smaller version.


Instead of the three-week whirlwind at Hidden Valley and Henry Miller Memorial Library that saw attendance of about 3,400 people‚ this year’s festival will scale down to about three performances in the first week of September. 


Possible venues include the Sunset Center in Carmel, Henry Miller Library and Brazil Ranch in Big Sur.


Festival General Manager Jim Woodard describes 2012 as a “development year” to escalate fundraising and build relationships. “We did a lot the first year on a shoestring,” Woodard says. “At some point we have to develop a realistic budget.”


There are other reasons for the smaller scale. This year marks Glass’ 75th birthday, and prestigious venues worldwide want him; his current world tour of opera Einstein on the Beach is followed by a tour with Kronos Quartet. The composer also is working on new material.


“He’s writing a new opera called The Perfect American, the story of Walt Disney,” Woodard says. “And [Koyaanisqatsi director] Godfrey Reggio has a new film coming out, and he’s writing music for that.”


But Monterey County doesn’t have to wait until September for Glass. The festival has teamed with Henry Miller Library and Britt Govea’s folkYEAH! Productions for a June 25 concert at Golden State Theatre starring Glass, harpist/singer Joanna Newsom and violinist Tim Fain. It’s a rare fundraiser for the library, which needs $150,000 for county-mandated renovations, including bathroom upgrades, to keep holding events.


Details about the concert are to be released May 7. 


“We’re talking all the time about artists we meet and listen to and know, and you dream up [these] collaborations,” HML Executive Director Magnus Toren. “It’s a dream come true.”