All About Jennifer Higdon: A Classical Composer For Philadelphia And Beyond

Meridee Duddleston, Jim Cotter and David Patrick Stearns — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:48:50 +0000

This month, WRTI is showcasing the works of various women composers. WRTI's Meridee Duddleston looks at a Philadelphia favorite: Jennifer Higdon.

Philadelphia’s Jennifer Higdon is among the most frequently performed living American composers. Now 50, the successful, unpretentious, and endlessly creative Higdon is adding an opera to her extensive repertoire. It’s a joint commission of The Santa Fe Opera and Opera Philadelphia based on Charles Frazier’s Civil War novel Cold Mountain. Higdon’s family moved from Atlanta to east Tennessee when she was an adolescent– about 40 miles, she says, as the crow flies from Cold Mountain. That geographic proximity fueled her insight into the characters she’s recasting in operatic form.

Higdon’s partner, Cheryl Lawson, runs Lawdon Press, the company that publishes and distributes Higdon’s works. Among her most-performed compositions is blue cathedral, a tone poem she wrote after the death, from cancer, of her brother Andrew Blue Higdon. Her works have been recorded on dozens of CDs and performed around the world.

Symphonic Resolutions: What's On Your Classical Music Wish List?

Tom Huizenga — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Are you the type to make New Year's resolutions? They're easy to make, but tough to keep — at least when it comes to your own. So how about brainstorming a few resolutions that are a little less personal?

We want you to tell us what changes you'd like to see and hear in classical music. What should orchestras, composers, critics, performers, fans, managers and media outlets do? Although there were positive stories and plenty of terrific music making last year, 2012 wasn't easy.