Dance Card
Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)

[2015]

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. Higdon’s first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International Opera Award for Best World Premiere and the opera recording was nominated for two Grammy awards. In 2018, Higdon received the prestigious Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University, awarded to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Most recently, she was invited to become a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Higdon enjoys several hundred performances a year of her works and her works have been recorded on more than 70 CDs. 

The North Carolina Symphony has performed several of Higdon’s works, including “Blue Cathedral” (2016), the Low Brass Concerto (2022), and the Suite from Cold Mountain (2025). 

The composer writes: 

Dance Card is a celebration of the joy, lyricism and passion of a group of strings playing together! This piece is made up of five movements, each of which is designed so that it can also be played as a separate work. From a string fanfare, through gentle serenades, and actual wild dances, the musicians get a chance to highlight their soloistic and ensemble playing. This work reflects the deep commitment that string players bring to their music-making, not only in the many years of learning to play their instruments, but also in the dedication manifested in gorgeous music-making as an ensemble. When we attend as audience members, we in effect, fill our dance card with that shared experience.

Strings