All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America, which is not responsible for content.
Press Releases
CCM hosts Pulitzer and Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon on Oct. 16-18
UC College-Conservatory of music celebrates Pulitzer and Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon during her residency at CCM on Oct. 16-18, 2025.
Audiences are invited to experience Higdon's award-winning music in a variety of free and ticketed performances. Learn more about CCM's Jennifer Higdon Festival and buy tickets online.
CCM's Jennifer Higdon Festival features public performances presented by CCM student ensembles and faculty, along with a Composition Symposium for CCM students, faculty and staff. More than 300 students are involved in the festival's performances, which features Higdon's compositions for orchestra, wind band, choral, opera, percussion and chamber music. Complete performance information is listed below.
CCM Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson led the planning for the festival, which marks the first time an entire weekend of performances has been dedicated to Higdon's music.
"When you have this many people involved in performances, it's such a spectacular display of the talent at the conservatory," Higdon said. "It's really impressive — not a lot of places could pull this off."
A highlight of the festival is the CCM Philharmonia and CCM Wind Symphony's "Symphonic Brilliance" concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17. The performance showcases Higdon's widely performed blue cathedral and three Grammy Award-winning works: Harp Concerto, Viola Concerto and Percussion Concerto, featuring faculty artist Adam Groh, percussion. Tickets are available through the CCM Box Office. Student soloists for the Harp and Viola concertos will be announced after CCM's concerto competition on October 8.
"Our students regularly work with living composers, but in this case they are working closely with a celebrated Pulitzer and Grammy Award-winning composer," Gibson said. "We try to provide transformative experiences for our students and this will change peoples' lives."
"We are celebrating our students while honoring Higdon's music," he added. "To be the steward of that, it's humbling and thrilling. It's why I teach at CCM."
CCM's Jennifer Higdon Festival culminates at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 with the "Choral and Chamber Music" concert, featuring CCM Chamber Choir, CCM Chorale and Musica Nova ensemble. The performance includes selections from Higdon's Southern Grace and somewhere i have never travelled for choir, piano and vibraphone; and chamber works Zaka, The Space Within, Book of Brass and Piano Trio. Tickets are available through the CCM Box Office.
In addition to the ticketed events, the festival includes two free public performances. On Friday, Oct. 17 at 12:30 p.m., CCM students will perform a variety of Higdon's chamber works — including Music Box of Light, Short Stories, Autumn Music and Exaltation of Larks — in the "Quartets and Quintets" concert at CCM's Mary Emery Hall, Room 3250. On Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m., CCM Opera students and the CCM Percussion Ensemble perform Higdon's Love Sweet, Splendid Wood and excerpts of her Cold Mountain opera in the "Opera, Chamber and Percussion" concert at CCM's Robert. J. Werner Recital Hall.
The festival illustrates CCM's commitment to experiential learning and fostering the next generation of performing and media artists. The college aims to inspire students and the general public to experience and appreciate classical music through a contemporary lens — and Jennifer Higdon's music is a perfect fit.
Widely praised for her "accessible" approach to writing contemporary classical music, Higdon is one of the most-performed living composers in America. "Traditional-sounding melody, harmony and rhythm are Higdon's building blocks, but her works are anything but old-fashioned," writes NPR Music Producer Tom Huizenga.
Experience a variety of performances featuring students from CCM programs that span the spectrum of performing arts — from orchestra and winds to opera, percussion and more.
"To involve this many students, it's an honor for me," Higdon said. I realize how much work goes into this and it's a testament to their skill level. It's going to be an exciting weekend featuring a great combination of pieces."
FEATURED JOBS
RENT A PHOTO
