Jennifer Higdon: Harp Concerto

Born in 1962, Jennifer Higdon is one of the most prominent and frequently performed American composers of her generation. A Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winner, Higdon came to classical music relatively late, teaching herself the flute as a teenager before pursuing formal studies at Bowling Green State University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the University of Pennsylvania. Rather than adhering to a single compositional school, Higdon prioritizes communication and color, crafting technically sophisticated music noted for immediacy, clarity, and emotional directness that appeals to both performers and audiences.

The Harp Concerto was commissioned by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. The piece premiered in Rochester in 2018, featuring harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and conductor Ward Stare. Drawn to the harp’s expressive range, Higdon wrote the Grammy Award-winning concerto to highlight the instrument’s resonance and vitality. As Higdon describes the work,

I love writing concerti because it gives me a chance to not only explore the different instruments’ qualities, but also because I get to experience the joy of the performer in displaying those qualities. Yolanda Kondonassis’ enthusiasm for her instrument is infectious. In order to show off the wonderful aspects of this grand instrument, I have created a 4-movement work:

First Light seemed an appropriate title for the first musical glimpse of the harp. Lyrical and stunningly elegant in its solitary quiet, the music moves through musical conversations with various soloists and sections of the orchestra.

Joy Ride is a romp through rollicking moods that shift constantly, carrying the soloist through dialogues with first the string section, then the wind section, followed by the percussion and then brass. This movement is all about joy.

The Lullaby movement is designed as a chamber work; no orchestral sections play in this movement. The first collaborating instruments are the flute and viola, in honor of the first piece where I really became aware of the harp, the Debussy Trio.

The final movement, Rap Knock, is named for the opening sounds played by the harpist. Most people associate the harp with a “lyrical/ heavenly” quality, but I wanted the enthusiastic rhythmic color of this instrument to emerge. This movement is a real race to the end.