By Barry Lenson
We find it reassuring that young Americans are still deciding to become composers. It is more wonderful still that at least one of these younger Americans, Jennifer Higdon, is composing works that are so well-crafted, beautiful, and often profound.
Ms. Higdon was born on December 31, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York. To date, she has won a Pulitzer Prize and three Grammys. In this composer profile, we are excited to tell you more about her.
About Jennifer Higdon
Ms. Higdon started to play the flute at the age of 15. Three years later, she became a flute major at Bowling Green State University, where she was encouraged to explore composition. By age 21, she had established herself as a composer. She then went on to earn an Artist’s Diploma at the Curtis Institute, where she studied with David Loeb and Ned Rorem.
A few decades have passed, and she has become a major figure in contemporary classical music. She has written works for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, voice, and chorus. Her opera, Cold Mountain, was premiered in 2015.
Her music has been hailed by Fanfare Magazine as having “the distinction of being at once complex, sophisticated but readily accessible emotionally”, with the Times of London citing it as “… rooted, yet imbued with integrity and freshness.” The League of American Orchestras reports that she is one of America’s most frequently performed composers.
And yes, she has won awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto (2010), Viola Concerto (2018), and Harp Concerto (2020).
To learn more, visit 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 Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
- Percussion Concerto (2005) – Winner of the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
- Blue Cathedral for flute, clarinet and orchestra (1999) – A lovely orchestral piece that has become a favorite among American orchestras and their audiences.
- All Things Majestic for orchestra (1911) – A 25-minute piece for orchestra that describes three outdoor settings (The Tetons, String Lake and the Snake River) and concludes with an aural depiction of cathedrals.
Chamber Works
- Sky Quartet; Amazing Grace; Sonata for Viola and Piano; Dark Wood; String Trio – We love this recording of these five works on a single Naxos disk, performed by the Serafin Quartet and other artists.
Choral Works
- Magnum Mysterium (2002) – A seven-minute piece for small chorus.
- Love Came Down (2022) – A warm and lovely setting of a Christmas poem by Christine Rossetti. Some might call this piece “four minutes of sheer beauty.” And we would agree.
* Please note that to listen, you must be a member of Classical Archives. We invite you to join today. Free 14-day trial memberships are available.
