Jennifer Higdon facts for kids
Jennifer Elaine Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer who writes modern classical music. She has won many important awards for her work. These include the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto. She also won three Grammy Awards for her Percussion Concerto (in 2010), Viola Concerto (in 2018), and Harp Concerto (in 2020). Higdon was a professor of music at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1994 until 2021. In 2019, she became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
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About Jennifer Higdon
Jennifer Higdon was born in Brooklyn, New York. She lived in Atlanta, Georgia for her first ten years. Then, her family moved to Seymour, Tennessee. Her father, Charles Higdon, was a painter. He made sure his children experienced many types of art. He took them to see new and experimental art. This helped Jennifer understand what art could be. She also loved photography and writing when she was young.
Even though she was introduced to art early, she did not hear much classical music at home. Instead, she listened to rock and folk music from the 1960s. She started playing percussion in her high school concert band. Around the same time, she taught herself to play the flute using an old book. She played flute in concert band and percussion in marching band. She heard very little classical music before college.
College and Early Music
Higdon studied flute at Bowling Green State University. Her teacher, Judith Bentley, encouraged her to try composing music. Jennifer had not had much formal music training when she was younger. This made college difficult at first. She said she did not know basic music theory. She did not know how to spell a chord or what musical intervals were. She also had no keyboard skills. She had to start from the very beginning. Most other students were much more advanced.
Despite these challenges, she worked very hard. She was a strong student, even when some professors discouraged her. While at Bowling Green, she wrote her first piece. It was a two-minute piece for flute and piano called Night Creatures. She found that newer classical music appealed to her more than older music. She also met Robert Spano at Bowling Green. He taught conducting and later helped share Higdon's music with orchestras in America.
Further Education and Teaching
Jennifer Higdon earned an artist's diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. There, she studied with David Loeb. She even taught the famous violinist Hilary Hahn there. Later, she earned both a master's degree and a PhD in composition. She studied at the University of Pennsylvania with George Crumb.
From 1994 to 2021, Higdon taught composition at the Curtis Institute of Music. She held a special position called the Milton L. Rock Chair in Compositional Studies. She has also been a composer-in-residence for several orchestras. These include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Higdon lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Her Music and Performances
Many major symphony orchestras have asked Jennifer Higdon to write music for them. These include the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. Conductors like Marin Alsop and Leonard Slatkin have worked with her music a lot. She has also written pieces for famous soloists. These include baritone singer Thomas Hampson and violinists Hilary Hahn and Jennifer Koh.
Higdon wrote her first opera based on the book Cold Mountain. Gene Scheer wrote the story for the opera. The Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia asked her to write it. It was first performed in Santa Fe in 2015.
Her music has been recorded on more than 50 CDs. Her most famous piece is blue cathedral. This is a one-movement tone poem. She wrote it to remember her brother, who passed away in 1998. It was first performed in 2000. Since then, over 400 orchestras around the world have played it.
How She Composes Music
Jennifer Higdon's musical background has shaped her unique style. She grew up listening to popular music like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. She heard this music much more than classical music. Because of this, she describes her composing as "intuitive" and "instinctive." She prefers to write music that feels right to her. She does not always follow strict classical rules. The mountains and open spaces of her Tennessee home also influenced her. This connection to nature even helped her bond with her teacher, George Crumb. He encouraged her to use nature as inspiration.
Many of Jennifer Higdon's pieces are considered neoromantic. This means they have a rich, emotional sound. Her music often uses familiar musical sounds, but in new ways. She avoids traditional chord patterns. This allows for sudden, surprising changes in the music. You can often hear open and parallel fifths in her pieces. She also uses musical scales to add melody or harmony.
Her early experience with percussion likely influenced her rhythm. Her music often has complex and detailed rhythms. This is true even when the melodies are smooth. She also uses repeating rhythmic patterns. These patterns give energy to many of her faster pieces. Some of her repeating rhythms and melodies can sound a bit like minimalist music.
When she writes for singers or choirs, Higdon tries to match speech patterns. She uses these patterns for both the tune and the rhythm of her melodies. She wants the music to reflect the mood of the words. This often gives her melodies a romantic feel. If she uses words in other languages, she often includes both the original text and its translation. This helps the piece share its message more clearly.
Her music's structure also shows her "intuitive" style. Her pieces have clear sections, but they flow together naturally. Melodies often continue across different parts of the music. This makes it hard to tell exactly where one idea ends and another begins. Many of her works start with just a few instruments. Then, more instruments join in as the piece goes on. This creates variety and keeps the music interesting. Higdon does not plan a specific form when she composes. Instead, she lets the music develop naturally.
Awards
Jennifer Higdon has received many important awards for her compositions:
- 2010: Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto.
- 2010: Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto.
- 2018: Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Viola Concerto.
- 2020: Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Harp Concerto.
See also
In Spanish: Jennifer Higdon para niños
