Ray Davies, Lou Reed, Patti Smith booked for annual Tibet House benefit in New York

The preliminary lineup has been announced for the annual Tibet House benefit concert in New York City. The show will feature Kinks frontman Ray Davies, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Blondie leader Deborah Harry, as well as singer Laurie Anderson, composer Philip Glass, and Icelandic experimental rock act Sigur Ros. The 17th annual event will be held at Carnegie Hall on February 26th, and it coincides with Tibetan New Year celebrations.

Davies, Smith, Anderson, and Glass have done the show in past years, as have David Bowie, R.E.M., and Dave Matthews, among others.

The Tibet House was created to help preserve and restore Tibet's cultural and spiritual heritage, which has been under siege since 1950 when Chinese troops began occupying the country. The New York-based institution runs educational programs and traveling exhibitions, and it also maintains a cultural center, a library, and a gallery.