By Barry Lenson
We discover it reassuring that younger Individuals are nonetheless deciding to change into composers. It’s extra great nonetheless that no less than one among these youthful Individuals, Jennifer Higdon, is composing works which are so well-crafted, lovely, and sometimes profound.
Ms. Higdon was born on December 31, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York. Up to now, she has received a Pulitzer Prize and three Grammys. On this composer profile, we’re excited to let you know extra about her.
About Jennifer Higdon
Ms. Higdon began to play the flute on the age of 15. Three years later, she grew to become a flute main at Bowling Inexperienced State College, the place she was inspired to discover composition. By age 21, she had established herself as a composer. She then went on to earn an Artist’s Diploma on the Curtis Institute, the place she studied with David Loeb and Ned Rorem.
A number of many years have handed, and she or he has change into a serious determine in up to date classical music. She has written works for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, voice, and refrain. Her opera, Chilly Mountain, was premiered in 2015.
Her music has been hailed by Fanfare Journal as having “the excellence of being without delay advanced, subtle however readily accessible emotionally”, with the Occasions of London citing it as “… rooted, but imbued with integrity and freshness.” The League of American Orchestras studies that she is one among America’s most ceaselessly carried out composers.
And sure, she has received awards, together with the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Awards for Finest Modern Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto (2010), Viola Concerto (2018), and Harp Concerto (2020).
To study extra, go to JenniferHigdon.com
Compositions by Jennifer Higdon You Can Hear on Classical Archives*
Orchestral Works and Concertos
- Viola Concerto (2015) – Winner of the 2018 Grammy Award for Finest Modern Classical Composition.
- Percussion Concerto (2005) – Winner of the 2010 Grammy Award for Finest Modern Classical Composition.
- Blue Cathedral for flute, clarinet and orchestra (1999) – A beautiful orchestral piece that has change into a favourite amongst American orchestras and their audiences.
- All Issues Majestic for orchestra (1911) – A 25-minute piece for orchestra that describes three outside settings (The Tetons, String Lake and the Snake River) and concludes with an aural depiction of cathedrals.
Chamber Works
Choral Works
- Magnum Mysterium (2002) – A seven-minute piece for small refrain.
- Love Got here Down (2022) – A heat and wonderful setting of a Christmas poem by Christine Rossetti. Some may name this piece “4 minutes of sheer magnificence.” And we might agree.
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