JENNIFER HIGDON – World’s Most Performed Living Composer and Multiple Grammy Winner – Capstones Multicultural 20×2020 Project
Houston, TX – Apollo Chamber Players concludes its six-year multicultural commissioning project with a digital world premiere by multiple Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer JENNIFER HIGDON. Curtailed by COVID cancellations this past Spring, Apollo capstones its bold 20×2020 project with a digital bang – the final commission is to be premiered as part of Apollo’s series concluding Virtual Festival 20×2020 (Episode XX) and will be simulcast nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today and YourClassical Facebook pages. A live Q&A with Ms. Higdon follows the premiere.
Jennifer Higdon is among the world’s most performed living composers, and her new string quartet work for Apollo, In the Shadow of the Mountain (20×2020 No. 20), takes inspiration from her Grammy-winning Cold Mountain opera as well as her childhood growing up in Appalachia.
“I’m honored to have been commissioned by Apollo for this inspirational project – its boldness and multicultural celebration resonates meaningfully with our current moment,” expresses Jennifer Higdon.
Apollo artistic director, founder, and violinist Matthew J. Detrick adds: “Jennifer has been a joy to work with – we were disappointed to have missed the opportunity to workshop the piece with her in person this Spring, but we’ve put mountains of time and effort into rehearsing together digitally. The commission is even more meaningful because of the unique challenges of our time.”
Launched in 2014 and inspired in part by President John F. Kennedy’s famous Moonshot goal, 20×2020 [twenty by twenty twenty] is an Apollo initiative to commission 20 new multicultural and folk music-inspired works for the ensemble by the end of the decade. The diverse project roster includes Grammy-winning composers Libby Larsen, Christopher Theofanidis and Jennifer Higdon, Rome Prize-winning Pamela Z, and Emmy-Winning Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate and Vanessa Vo, among others.
20×2020 has raised Apollo’s profile in Houston and internationally, as we’ve explored a myriad of cultures through the creation of new music and art. This project has meaningfully advanced Apollo’s mission to connect communities and cultures through globally inspired music,” reflects artistic director Matthew J. Detrick.
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL 20×2020 Episode 20 airs Sunday Nov. 1 at 7pm CST (8pm EST) on Apollo and American Public Media’s YouTube and Facebook
More about Apollo Chamber Players, 20×2020 project and Virtual Festival: https://www.apollochamberplayers.org/20×2020/#festival20x2020
Apollo Facebook Event Page for signing up and YouTube Channel for viewing live stream
American Public Media’s Performance Today Facebook page for viewing: https://www.facebook.com/performancetoday/videos/?ref=page_internal
High-Resolution Photos of Festival Artists: https://bit.ly/3ksHuhX
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