Monday (4/12) on NewMusicBox.com, Frank J. Oteri reports, “Jennifer Higdon has been awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, which received its premiere performance by Hilary Hahn and the Indianapolis Symphony conducted by Mario Venzago on February 6, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The citation describes the work as ‘a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity.’ Also nominated as finalists in this category were: String Quartet No. 3, by Fred Lerdahl, premiered on December 8, 2009, in Cleveland, Ohio; and Steel Hammer, by Julia Wolfe (G. Schirmer, Inc./Red Poppy), premiered on November 13, 2009, in Gainesville, Florida. … Higdon’s Violin Concerto is the first orchestral score by a self-published composer to receive this accolade, which also includes a cash prize of ten thousand dollars. The piece, recorded by Hahn and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko, is slated for a September 2010 release (September 21 in the United States) on the Deutsche Grammophon label paired with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.” Higdon is a member of the League of American Orchestras board of directors.
Photo by Donna O’Conner
Posted April 13, 2010
