Percussion Concerto (Higdon)

The Percussion Concerto is a one-movement concerto for solo percussion and orchestra by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was jointly commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, with contributions from the Philadelphia Music Project and the Lacy Foundation of LDI, Ltd. The piece was completed in 2005 and is dedicated to the percussionist Colin Currie, for whom the concerto was written.[1] The piece won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.[2][3][4] That same year, Higdon won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto (2008).[5][6]

In 2020, a recording of the concerto performed by Currie was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7]

  1. ^ Higdon, Jennifer (2005). PROGRAM NOTES: "Percussion Concerto". JenniferHigdon.com. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  2. ^ Nicholson, David (October 26, 2010). "Virginia Symphony presents Higdon's percussion concerto". Daily Press. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Dunkle, David N. (February 2, 2010). "Philadelphia composer Jennifer Higdon scores a Grammy". The Patriot-News. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "Alumna wins Grammy for Percussion Concerto". Pennsylvania Gazette. February 1, 2010. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  5. ^ Schweitzer, Vivien (April 21, 2010). "Despite Anxiety and Naysayers, Composer Wins Her Pulitzer". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Berger, Kevin (March 25, 2012). "Composer Jennifer Higdon pursues friendly music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  7. ^ "National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist". Library of Congress. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.