Jennifer Higdon is one of America's most acclaimed figures in contemporary classical music, receiving the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy for her Percussion Concerto, a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto, and, most recently, a 2020 Grammy for her Harp Concerto. In 2018, Higdon received the prestigious Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University, which is awarded to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Higdon enjoys several hundred performances a year of her works, and blue cathedral is today's most performed contemporary orchestral work, with more than 650 performances worldwide. Her works have been recorded on more than 60 CDs. Higdon's first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International Opera Award for Best World Premiere, and the opera recording was nominated for 2 Grammy awards.