Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Jennifer Higdon is a distinguished American composer known for her dynamic and audience-friendly music. She earned a PhD and MA in music composition from the University of Pennsylvania, a BM in flute performance from Bowling Green State University, and an artist diploma in music composition from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Dr Higdon’s compositions are celebrated for their technical flair and audience appeal. The Washington Post has praised her as "a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form, and a generous dash of pure esprit." She is widely recognized as one of America's most frequently performed composers.
Machine was commissioned as an encore piece and is a vibrant, energetic composition lasting less than three minutes. Premiered alongside pieces by Mozart and Tchaikovsky, the work draws inspiration from the prolific output of these well-known composers. Higdon's Machine features a driving foundational motor juxtaposed with virtuosic passages in the upper voices, reflecting her admiration for the frenzied productivity of these great masters.
Higdon describes Machine as a tribute to these prolific composers, sharing that: “Machine is a tribute to composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, who seemed to write so many notes and so much music that it felt as if they were machines!”
Jennifer Higdon is a distinguished American composer known for her dynamic and audience-friendly music. She earned a PhD and MA in music composition from the University of Pennsylvania, a BM in flute performance from Bowling Green State University, and an artist diploma in music composition from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Dr Higdon’s compositions are celebrated for their technical flair and audience appeal. The Washington Post has praised her as "a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form, and a generous dash of pure esprit." She is widely recognized as one of America's most frequently performed composers.
Machine was commissioned as an encore piece and is a vibrant, energetic composition lasting less than three minutes. Premiered alongside pieces by Mozart and Tchaikovsky, the work draws inspiration from the prolific output of these well-known composers. Higdon's Machine features a driving foundational motor juxtaposed with virtuosic passages in the upper voices, reflecting her admiration for the frenzied productivity of these great masters.
Higdon describes Machine as a tribute to these prolific composers, sharing that: “Machine is a tribute to composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, who seemed to write so many notes and so much music that it felt as if they were machines!”
