"Her willingness to communicate with audiences and her openness to musicians' comments is extremely refreshing. Philadelphia-based composer Jennifer Higdon won the Pulitzer Prize for music with her Violin Concerto Monday. Jennifer Higdon's musical background has influenced her in many unique ways. In January, Higdon won a Grammy Award in the category of contemporary classical composition for her Percussion Concerto. The cats run and hide.. The 30-minute work received its world premiere on Feb. 6, 2009, by violinist Hilary Hahn with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mario Venzano. The piece, recorded by Hahn and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko, is slated for a September 2010 release . As the movement unfolds, these elements intertwine and elaborate. Higdon received a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Bowling Green State University, an Artist Diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music, and an M.A. Lets start with melody, and the understanding that her music is not, in fact, chock-a-block with hummable tunes (though she certainly knows how to write those). Among her most popular works are the symphonic poem blue cathedral, her opera Cold Mountain, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning Violin Concerto, written for Hilary Hahn. Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35II. Composer Jennifer Higdon has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto, making her one of the few women to have won the country's top classical music prize. A theoretical analysis of the work and speculations as to its future complete the study. In a pre-concert forum Higdon suggested that one might be reminded of Hindemith, as she has played work of his for flute (her instrument.) The concerto is in the usual three movements but with unusual designations. Legacy, for violin and piano, is a brief but passionate elegy, while the Sax Sonata for alto saxophone suggests nocturnal urban landscapes. Violin Concerto: I - Jennifer Higdon 2. Jennifer Higdon: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra I. Higdon does not intentionally compose with a form in mind, but allows the music to unfold naturally. Here, again, the composer has written a crowd-pleaser that pleases for reasons one might not expect. She now receives more than two hundred performances a year of her works. The CD is available on amazon.com and deutschegrammophon.com and on all streaming services. 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. Featured New Releases . Premiered in 2000, it has since been performed by more than 400 orchestras around the world. Williams, Max Brenton Harkey. String Poetic (album). As Curtis was also a primary training ground for me as a young composer, it seemed an appropriate tribute. Accessibility | Jennifer Higdon's myriad accolades and accomplishments are impressive by any standard, but particularly in the world of contemporary classical music. Piano Concerto #2 (1963) - Leon Kirchner 6. I believe in a clear pulse and a clear rhythm. In another original concerto pairing, Grammy award winning violinist, Hilary Hahn, releases the world-premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon's 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning concerto. Candace DiCarlo Her father, Charles Higdon, was a painter and made efforts to expose his children to different types of art. Violin Concerto 4 Gyrgy Ligeti Violin Concerto 1990 Play 16. 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. Scenes from the Poet's Dreams, a work for piano quintet written in 1999 by American composer Jennifer Higdon (b. Jennifer Higdon And Me: A Musical Friendship. The honor of election is considered the highest form of recognition of artistic merit in the U.S. An arrangement of blue cathedral has been created for band and is now available for rental through Lawdon Press. Higdon is thrilled that Assistant Director Major Ryan J. Nowlin of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band arranged the work, and has given his permission for it to be performed by bands around the world. Scores can be purchased through this website and rental quotes can be obtained by emailing lawdonpress@aol.com. Higdon was born in Brooklyn, New York. (Higdon told me that the latter was meant to be very dense.) She's won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award. To tie into this title, I make extensive use the intervals of unisons, sevenths, and seconds throughout this movement. Van Glahn, Denise (university representative) Between 2016 and 2018, Higdon served as the prestigious Barr Laureate Scholar at the University of Missouri Kansas City. The Mannes Orchestra, led by Mannes Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies David Hayes, returns to Alice Tully Hall in a concert featuring a symphonic world premiere by Adolphus Hailstork, a New York premiere by Zhou Tian, a New York premiere by Jennifer Higdon featuring CoPA . Sauer, Gregory (professor directing treatise) An ideal introduction to Jennifer Higdons music. [16] Tom Service, also in the Guardian also criticized Higdon's Concerto For Orchestra. The piece was later awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music.[2][3][4]. Violin Concerto: III - Jennifer Higdon 4. The American Violin: Big, Bold, Singing, Striving. Many of Jennifer Higdon's pieces are considered neoromantic. The Red Violin. MA Music, Leisure and Travel Find top songs and albums by Jennifer Higdon, including Barcarole (Seven Mad Gods Who Rule the Sea): III. [15] "Higdon's music is lithe and expert", wrote Robert Battey of the Washington Post. +1 (406)721-3194. "For me, composing a concerto is like constant discovery," Higdon said immediately following the premier. [1] The Concerto for Orchestra put the composer on the musical map and serves as a thrilling link to the mid-century masterworks that inspired it. International licensing, If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to. As part of this ethnographic approach, the very evolution of the work (including actual alterations before and after the premiere) is presented offering a distinct look at the processes of composition and performance in classical music. Gramophone is brought to you by Mark Allen Group 172614:23 2. Starting a piece is the worst, says Higdon, and that can stretch from one day to three weeks of agony. 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 "traditionally rooted, yet imbued with integrity and freshness." Privacy Policy | One of the magical things about the end of blue cathedral is the unusual, ethereal tinkling, produced by several dozen of the players shaking Chinese reflex balls a sound Higdon happened upon by accident by bumping into a box of these balls at home. Higdon sets Jeanne Minahans emotionally layered poems so that every word can be understood; occasionally one senses its the violin and orchestra who are singing, not the choir. By Jennifer Higdon. [1] It was composed for the violinist Hilary Hahn and was given its world premiere by Hahn and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Mario Venzago on February 6, 2009. She spent the first 10 years of her life in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Seymour, Tennessee. Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto: The Genesis of a Twenty-First Century Work. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. Vasily Petrenko & the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, 2009. There is also a wide range of pitch. He wrote: "The problem with Higdon's piece is that its flamboyant gestures function only as surface effects, without creating any real structural momentum. In this particular case, there are several chaconnes, which create the stage for a dialog between the soloist and various members of the orchestra. 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. The Apollo Chamber Players embarked on a remarkable journey to commission 20 works by 2020. "I'm humbled and honored to get the prize," Higdon said in a phone interview Monday. The work was jointly commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music. 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 Pulitzer officials described the concerto as "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity.". She has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Hartt School and Bowling Green State University. Contents 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. In 2020, Higdon's Percussion Concerto recording was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. 2023 Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. The first was in 2010 for her Percussion Concerto. false Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral was inspired by her grief over her brother's death. [13] Her most popular work is blue cathedral, a one-movement tone poem which she wrote in memory of her brother, who died of cancer in 1998. Jennifer Higdon has composer anxiety, but she stuck with it and now she has a Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto. 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.. 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 was co-commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia and premiered in Santa Fe in 2015.[12]. Higdons Violin Concerto for Hilary Hahn won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the composer said she found that out in a very 21st century fashion, when she noticed her cell phone was suddenly flooded with dozens and dozens of messages. It's been played by more than 200 orchestras since it premiered in 2000. 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. Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto: The Genesis of a Twenty-First Century Work, Williams, Max Brenton Harkey (author) Her music is published exclusively by Lawdon Press. Higdons intimate side. 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. Violin ConcertoIII. Concertos for Violin & Orchestra. Jennifer KohvnAtlanta Symphony and Chorus / Robert Spano. The dynamics range from very soft to overwhelming at a couple of moments, the tuttis giving the soloist some surely much needed rest. This work was commissioned by the Indianapolis, Baltimore and Toronto orchestras and the Curtis Institute, where Higdon teaches and which Hahn attended (and studied with Higdon, as it happens.) My reviews of Higdon's Concerto for Orchestra, City Scape and Blue Cathedral: 1995-2022 Classical NetUse of text, images, or any other copyrightable material contained in these pages, without the written permission of the copyright holder,except as specified in the Copyright Notice, is strictly prohibited. The work was jointly commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music. Higdon's Violin Concerto for Hilary Hahn won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the composer said she found that out in a very 21st century fashion, when she noticed her cell phone was suddenly flooded with dozens and dozens of messages. Dr. Higdon received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, with the committee . Her early background in percussion likely influenced her rhythmic style; her music often features complex, intricate rhythmic passages, even when melodies are lyrical. February 28, 2023 Mannes Orchestra Performs at Alice Tully Hall and More Events This March at The New School. Its tempo is incredibly fast think of a prolonged Flight of the Bumblebee. All Things Majestic was premiered at Walk Festival Hall on August 19th, 2011. This colourful, ever-changing instrumental panoply is doubtless one reason why the work makes an instant impression Higdon's work is traditionally rooted yet imbued with integrity, freshness and a desire to entertain. [19][20] The second was in 2018 for her Viola Concerto. Jennifer Higdon (b. Conductor Marin Alsop says she's also a Higdon fan. The same year, Higdon's Percussion Concerto won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. It may well be Higdon's best work to date. Higdon was concerned whether certain passages, and the cadenza were actually playable or not but she was assured that they were not a problem. Despite these challenges, she established herself as a hard worker and a resilient student, even when she faced discouragement from some professors.[7]. This was her breakthrough work, commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Allegro moderato [0:19:22.71] 05. And I have a tendency to make musical events happen or turn over fast. She has explained her philosophy partly as a reaction to the anything-goes happenings she experienced through her fathers artistic interests, her grounding in the steady rhythms of popular music, and also the dogged determination she felt she needed in order to make up for her own late start. It seemed that everything was effortless for her. Rapturous woodwind solos (her brother was a clarinettist) soar over luminous, ever-shifting pools of divided strings. She has served as Composer-in-Residence with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony and the Music Academy of the West. 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. Higdon received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, with the committee citing the work as "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity." "I jumped up and down a little," she says. She has received many awards including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto and a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto. Her earliest compositions date to the early '80s, but she emerged as an important figure in the period of the new millennium with such orchestra works as blue cathedral (1999), City Scape (2002), and Concerto for Orchestra (2002). 44, no. Part concerto, part choral song-cycle,The Singing Roomis one of Higdons most ingenious and affecting creations. This article originally appeared in the June 2015 issue of Gramophone. The suite, titled Elements, will have its preview at two concerts of the 2023 Colorado Music Festival. 04:47 AM Bavarian Dances Composer: Edward Elgar Conductor: William Boughton 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. Conductors who worked extensively with her include Christoph Eschenbach, Marin Alsop, Leonard Slatkin, and Giancarlo Guerrero. The beauty of the violins tone and the artists gifts are on display here. Accessibility doesnt seem like a negative word to me.. 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. Higdon received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts & Letters (two awards), the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Meet-the-Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, and ASCAP. Light Refracted, for clarinet, violin, viola, cello & piano: 15:37 : Chamber Music: Quintet : Lilacs, for baritone & piano : 07:05 . Jennifer Higdon (b. Find Jennifer Higdon composition information on AllMusic AllMusic. Hilary really makes it sing on the instrument.". Jennifer Koh plays the difficult violin part with exceptional beauty of tone, and the ASO Chorus is on top form. However, I am still exhilarated from hearing this exciting work. Higdon has been frank about her allegiance to traditional musical values what some would call accessibility. Higdon received the esteemed 2018 Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University which is awarded to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Christina L. Reitz, "Jennifer Higdon", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). The dreamer becomes both a participant and observer, a paradox Higdon likens to the role of the pianist in a piano quintet. The piece was co-commissioned by the Library of Congress and the Curtis Institute of Music. After Monday's announcement, that number is likely to rise. I believe wholeheartedly in melody, she declared in a 2011 interview at Drexel University. That last movement moves very fast, so you have to imagine Hilary flying forward across the racing tape at the end of the race.". Someone I spoke with declared that the concert would have been worth attending just for this. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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. "I realized I was working on this when we were approaching the Olympics," she says. "But I'm really fortunate to work with such great musicians. expanding on the procedures of John Cage. Her orchestral work, blue cathedral, is one of the most performed contemporary orchestral works in the repertoire, more than 650 performances since its premiere in 2000. It is a five-movement work, all of which showcases every section of the orchestra and is occasionally thematically reminiscent of the famous Bartk concerto. Hilary Hahn, Violin. At times at least the concerto also struck me as not unlike music of the English pastoral school (think Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony, for example but not as though she were quoting and when I said this to Higdon she did not blanch. She has employed such experimental touches in other works, as well, perhaps a reflection of her studies with George Crumb, who loved to create new timbres through special instrumental effects. The percussion and brass filled the entire rear of the playing area on what would appear to be a two or three foot high riser except that it seems to be a permanent part of the structure of the Hilbert Circle Theatre, surely meant to spare the hearing of the other players. Venzago plays Schumann with unusually varied tempos. "[9] While at Bowling Green, she met Robert Spano, who was teaching a conducting course there and who became one of the champions of Higdon's music in the American orchestral community. About Mark Allen Group A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. [5] She also developed an interest in photography and writing at an early age. Bartk is a clear influence in Fiery Red, as it is (unsurprisingly, perhaps) in Higdons Concerto for Orchestra (2002). Just a word about the Schumann. The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. Jennifer Higdon is one of America's most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers. Her works have been recorded on more than four dozen CDs. 2 Flutes (Piccolo doubling) 2 Oboes (English horn in F doubling) 2 Bb . Its unmissable in Exaltation of Larks (2005) for string quartet, though dabbed with French Impressionist colours, and also in parts of The Singing Rooms (2007) for violin, chorus, and orchestra, one of the composers most affecting works. 3. Jennifer Higdon's style, however, is direct and imaginative, filled with unique harmonic colors, solid thematic development, and a subtle and intimate lyricism. 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. Most of the people I started school with were far more advanced than I was, and I had an extraordinary amount of catching up to do." a carbonhouse experience. Her music is in such high demand that shes able to compose exclusively on commission. The final movement, "Fly Forward," was inspired by Hahn's fleet fingers and, Higdon says, the Olympics. Violin Concerto. Violin Concerto received a Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2010. In 2018, Higdon's Viola Concerto also won a Grammy for Best Classical Composition, and both her Viola Concerto and her Oboe Concerto appear on All Things . Rene Orth's "10 Days in a Madhouse" will be given its world premiere on Sept. 21 in the opening of the company's O23 Festival, and Jennifer Higdon's "Woman with Eyes Closed" has been . | The composer said in a phone interview that she was surprised to learn that she had won the Pulitzer on Monday. "[citation needed], Among less favorable assessments, Andrew Clements in the Guardian gave a CD of Higdon's music a minimal one-star rating. 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. This song sets a text by Walt Whitman, from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. Spiral bound score, 14 p. . Her style grew out of her musical upbringing, which was characterized by much greater and earlier exposure to popular music such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, and many other groups, rather than to classical music. Pulitzer Prize- and three-time Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon is one of America's most frequently performed living composers. Concertos throughout history have always allowed the soloist to delight the audience with feats of great virtuosity, and when a composer is confronted with a real gift in the soloists ability to do so, well, it would be foolhardy not to allow that dream to become a reality. Violin Concerto No. On the surface, it appears to be a simple formula: Higdon writes music that audiences like to hear and musicians find gratifying to play. Higdons first opera, I believe that one of the most rewarding aspects of life is exploring and discovering the magic and mysteries held within our universe. He said that did this with the orchestra that Schumann himself had conducted in Dusseldorf, which is used to steady tempos and he did not know whether this would provoke outrage and they actually liked it enough to ask him to be their "Schumann" conductor. On the occasions where she has set non-English texts, she tends to use both the text and translation in the piece, allowing the piece to more effectively communicate its message. Jennifer Higdon is one of the cherished names in contemporary American classical music. 3 and Julia Wolfes Steel Hammer.. If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription toGramophoneplease click herefor further information. Performers interested in learning the Concerto will no doubt find many practical suggestions in regards to bowings, fingerings and performance practice contained within this treatise. See About archive blog posts. GRAMMY winner Jennifer Higdon (b. Brooklyn, NY, December 31, 1962) started late in music, teaching herself to play flute at the age of 15 and then beginning formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. Jennifer Higdon's Pulitzer Prize-winning Violin Concerto, written especially for her former student Hilary Hahn, was co-commissioned in 2009 by the Indianapolis, Toronto, and Baltimore symphony orchestras, as well as by the Curtis Institute of Music, where both Hahn and Higdon studied, and where Higdon has been a faculty member since 1994 . 1962) Violin Concerto (Hilary Hahn, vn; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; Vasily Petrenko, cond.) And it was the Violin Concerto (2010), composed for Hilary Hahn, that earned Higdon the Pulitzer. Pale Yellow, the first movement of her Piano Trio (2003), is an especially lovely example, as both elements are so tender and lyrical. She has 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. Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35I. Gregory Sauer, Professor Directing Treatise; Denise Von Glahn, University Representative; Alexander Jimnez, Committee Member. The striking color palettes and athletic virtuosity make the works by composers Robert Aldridge (Carolinian Dances - world premiere recording), Jennifer Higdon (String Poetic) and John Corigliano (Sonata for violin & piano) exciting adventures and audience favorites! Chacconi [0:12:17.52] 03. Florida State University (degree granting institution). She has also received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the Koussevitzky Foundation, the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, The Independence Foundation, the NEA, and ASCAP. The Violin Concerto has been praised by music critics. "I'm going to attend my students' composition concert tonight at Curtis and try not to steal any of their thunder," she says. Shes won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award. And how is the composer planning to celebrate her win? The excitement of the first movements intensity certainly deserves the calm and pensive relaxation of the second movement. This website and all content copyright 2009-2022 Jennifer Higdon, Inc.Site Design: Canfield Design Studios, Inc. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko. Which is not a musical goal of Jennifer Higdon? In 2018, Higdon received the Eddie Medora King Award from the University of Texas at Austin. Soloists: Monica Huggett - violin , Carla Moore - violin , Rob Diggins - violin Portland Baroque 501. In Dooryard Bloom (2004), for baritone and orchestra, textual comprehension is, again, a primary concern and how naturally she handles the ebb and flow of Whitmans complex prosody. 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 solo part/piano reduction set for Higdon's newest flute work is available now. Missoula Symphony Assn. The Piano Trio demonstrates her gift for tender melody. hide caption. The suite, titled Elements, will have its preview at two concerts of the 2023 Colorado Music Festival. Avoiding specific key signatures allows for sudden, surprising harmonic shifts and modulations. 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. Higdons sure dramatic sense is evident, too, in blue cathedral (2000), a 12-minute tone-poem written as a memorial to her younger brother, Andrew Blue Higdon, who died of cancer in his early thirties. Harmonically, Higdon's music tends to use tonal structures, but eschews traditional harmonic progressions in favor of more open intervals. Personally, I would prefer not to hear it this way again, but it was interesting. [22] The third was in 2020 for her Harp Concerto.[23]. Higdon has been commissioned to write a string quartet for the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, to commemorate its 100th season.