Please see the Use and Reproduction field in this objects record below for more information about re-use of this item. Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy-winner Jennifer Higdon (b. Brooklyn, NY, December 31, 1962) taught herself to play flute at the age of 15 and began formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. This was her breakthrough work, commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. She said of beginning college, "I didn't know any basic theory, how to spell a chord, what intervals were, and I had zero keyboard skills. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra / Robert Spano. Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja also won a Grammy for her . 320 E Main St, Missoula, MT 59802. By logging in, you may be able to gain additional access to certain collections or items. "[6], "Despite Anxiety and Naysayers, Composer Wins Her Pulitzer", "Composer Jennifer Higdon pursues friendly music", "Sound That's Lush and Slow, Speedy and Precise", "HIGDON; TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concertos: Playing of great subtlety from Hilary Hahn in two well-contrasted concert", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Violin_Concerto_(Higdon)&oldid=1053643566, "Fly Forward" a fastpaced movement, Higdon imagined violinist Hilary Hahn racing in the Olympics as she was composing the piece, This page was last edited on 5 November 2021, at 03:52. Lawdon Press is pleased to announce this new recording of Concerto 4-3. Williams, M. B. H. (2010). Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. Dr. Higdon also received the Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University, which is given to contemporary . She has won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition three times. She eventually obtained both a Master of Arts and a PhD in composition from the University of Pennsylvania under the tutelage of George Crumb. He took them to various exhibitions of new and experimental art that gave her her earliest exposure to art and helped her to form an idea of what art was. New Releases. Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto, addressing concerns of linear and contrapuntal development, along with the harmonic language employed in this movement, to prove that these traits are at the heart of Higdon's compositional voice and are what make her works accessible, yet engaging. The good news is that the different voices can be heard without drowning one another out, which is one of the exciting things about this piece. The concerto was co-commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony and debuted in 2009 with the orchestra and Hilary Hahn as the soloist. Privacy Policy | Website. Jennifer Higdon (b. About Jennifer Higdon Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy-winner Jennifer Higdon (b. Brooklyn, NY, December 31, 1962) taught herself to play flute at the age of 15 and began formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. false Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral was inspired by her grief over her brother's death. That said, this violin concerto is almost a second concerto for orchestra, as the reviewer in the Indianapolis Star also notes. She is a major figure in contemporary classical music, receiving the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy for her Percussion Concerto and a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto, and a 2020 Grammy for her Harp Concerto. String Poetic: Nocturne. She has received many awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto[2][3] and three Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto in 2010, Viola Concerto in 2018, and Harp Concerto in 2020. 2023 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Jennifer Higdon has composer anxiety, but she stuck with it and now she has a Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto. Jennifer Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of classical music and composition teacher. "I'm going to attend my students' composition concert tonight at Curtis and try not to steal any of their thunder," she says. In this particular case, there are several chaconnes, which create the stage for a dialog between the soloist and various members of the orchestra. 1962) is one of Americas most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers. This site uses cookies to offer you the best possible experience. Violin Concerto: III - Jennifer Higdon 4. Higdon, who holds a teaching post at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, has received commissions from major orchestras around the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony.This has been an especially rewarding year for the composer. [5] She also developed an interest in photography and writing at an early age. by James Manheim [+] American composer Jennifer Higdon 's breakthrough came in 2002 with her Concerto for Orchestra, a work that attracted the widespread admiration of working symphonic musicians and led to mushrooming performances of her music both within and beyond the U.S. Notable, here, are the frequent and pronounced changes of texture, colour, and character she employs to create a sustained sense of surprise. Higdon was concerned whether certain passages, and the cadenza were actually playable or not but she was assured that they were not a problem. The first movement of this concerto, written for the violinist, Hilary Hahn, carries a somewhat enigmatic title of 1726. This number represents an important aspect of such a journey of discovery, for both the composer and the soloist. Violin Concerto 4 Gyrgy Ligeti Violin Concerto 1990 Play 16. And it was the Violin Concerto (2010), composed for Hilary Hahn, that earned Higdon the Pulitzer. But is it really so simple? "It's the extremes," Higdon says. Her Percussion Concerto was awarded a Grammy in 2010, and her Viola Concerto took a Grammy in 2018. Solo Violin . Indeed, the climaxes are carefully placed, not just within the individual movements but in the work as a whole, which forms a shapely and satisfying dramatic arc. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko. Despite these obstacles, Jennifer has become a major figure in contemporary Classical music. Violin ConcertoII. But a close listen reveals that Tchaikovsky's classic Violin Concerto in D and Jennifer Higdon's new Violin Concerto (winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize) have more in common than listeners might think. "But I'm really fortunate to work with such great musicians. The work is unquestionably complex but, unlike Higdon's Concerto for orchestra, the texture is not dense. In its citation, the Pulitzer board described the piece as deeply engaging and said that it combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity., Higdon said she wrote the concerto with Hahn in mind and that the piece is meant to show off her gifts.. Williams, Max Brenton Harkey. The dreamer becomes both a participant and observer, a paradox Higdon likens to the role of the pianist in a piano quintet. She played flute in her high school's concert band and percussion in marching band, but heard little classical music before her college years. The writing for woodwinds is especially satisfying. Glance through the Upcoming Performances page of her official website and youll find that her work is being played not only by the Houston Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra, but also by municipal, community, and high school ensembles across the country. 35 4 Karol Szymanowski Violin Concerto 1916 Play 15. The concerto has a duration of roughly 33 minutes and is composed in three movements: The work is scored for a solo violin and an orchestra comprising two flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), two oboes (2nd doubling English horn), two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, harp, timpani, two percussionists, and strings. By Jennifer Higdon. The Piano Trio demonstrates her gift for tender melody. The concerto was co . "Her music is evocative and understandable," Alsop wrote in an essay for NPR. Her works have been recorded on more than four dozen CDs. Harmonically, Higdon's music tends to use tonal structures, but eschews traditional harmonic progressions in favor of more open intervals. The slow movement is called Chaconni (admittedly a neologism) to indicate that the movement has more than one repeated chord progression. Higdon has won three GRAMMY awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition: first for her Percussion Concerto in 2010, in 2018 for her Viola Concerto, and in 2020 for her Harp Concerto. February 28, 2023 Mannes Orchestra Performs at Alice Tully Hall and More Events This March at The New School. Higdons intimate side. Higdon wrote the concerto for Hahn, whom she first met about 10 years ago when the young violinist attended Higdon's class in 20th-century music at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she teaches composition studies. It is unlike any other work for violin and orchestra I have heard (and I have reviewed here over two dozen of them in the last few years.). I feel that you should be able to come to my music without having any kind of knowledge about classical music. The League of American Orchestras reports that she is one of America's most frequently performed composers. Higdon was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Reviewing the New York City premiere, Allan Kozinn of The New York Times wrote, "Its big, exploratory opening movement is packed with quick, insistent solo lines and dialogues between the violin and either the full orchestra or individual sections or players; its lush, slow movement (here in the form of a chaconne) exploits the violin's lyrical qualities, and its finale is driven by daredevil speediness. Her father, Charles Higdon, was a painter and made efforts to expose his children to different types of art. Violin ConcertoI. She didnt begin composing until she was 21 and even then only at the behest of her flute teacher but went on to complete graduate studies at Curtis and the University of Pennsylvania, working with Ned Rorem and George Crumb, respectively. String Poetic (album). Her works represent a wide range of genres, from orchestral to chamber, to wind ensemble, as well as vocal, choral and opera. In a brilliantly apt move, Hahn played as an encore an exquisite Sarabande by Bach that could not have been more of a change of pace. Hilary really makes it sing on the instrument.". The excitement of the first movements intensity certainly deserves the calm and pensive relaxation of the second movement. All Rights Reserved. explore; Pierrot ensemble chamber ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, often percussion and sometimes with voice named after Schoenberg's pioneering work . She now receives more than two hundred performances a year of her works. Rapturous woodwind solos (her brother was a clarinettist) soar over luminous, ever-shifting pools of divided strings. The first is enigmatically denoted "1726," a number Higdon says has meaning to both her and Hahn and she has promised an autographed copy of the score to the first six respondents correctly guessing what this significance is. Many of her works begin with a sparse orchestration, and build in performing forces as a piece continues, creating variety and interest throughout a given piece of music. true Jennifer Higdon's title blue cathedral refers to Higdon's younger brother's name Violinist Hilary Hahn, for whom the . If you have questions about access or logging in, please use the form on the Contact Page. Jennifer Higdon Violin Concerto World Premire Also on the program: Schumann's 4 th Symphony and Weber's overture to Freischtz Hilary Hahn, violin Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra/Mario Venzano Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - February 6, 2009 Indeed, theres an English pastoral quality to much of Higdons lyrical writing. In 2019, Higdon was inducted into the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States. Besides Hahn, the concerto was commissioned by four orchestras: The Baltimore, Toronto and Indianapolis Symphonies, plus the orchestra at the Curtis Institute. An ideal introduction to Jennifer Higdons music. Shes won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award. Jennifer Higdon is one of America's most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers. "The whole focus of the second movement is the beauty of tone.". Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto was completed in August of 2008 and premiered 6 February 2009 by the work's dedicatee, Hilary Hahn, with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (co-commissioner) and Mario Venzago, serving as conductor. 144 ("Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin") performed on Septuagesimae Sunday as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1727 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. Despite these challenges, she established herself as a hard worker and a resilient student, even when she faced discouragement from some professors.[7]. The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. Jennifer Higdon (b. [24][25] It was commissioned jointly by the Indianapolis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and the Curtis Institute of Music. Her father was a visual artist, a hippy, and a fan of the avant-garde in almost everything but music. The Pulitzer citation called it "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity". Vasily. Part concerto, part choral song-cycle,The Singing Roomis one of Higdons most ingenious and affecting creations. The Azuri Quartet will premiere the new work. I believe in a clear pulse and a clear rhythm. The Apollo Chamber Players embarked on a remarkable journey to commission 20 works by 2020. [6] Despite her early introduction to art, she received very little exposure to classical music in her home. Jennifer Koh plays the difficult violin part with exceptional beauty of tone, and the ASO Chorus is on top form. An acclaimed flutist and composer, Valerie Coleman's appointment to the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is adjacent to many recent career highlights including the world premiere performance of The Light We Can See flute concerto by composer Jennifer Higdon alongside the Chicago Philharmonic with conductor and MSM trustee . 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