Jennifer Higdon

The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert on Sunday, Feb. 3rd at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1 and Monday, Feb. 4th at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2 begins and ends with the colors of Hungarian folk music, and features the first Philadelphia performance of a concerto by Jennifer Higdon. Cristian Măcelaru conducts.

Four Philadelphia Orchestra brass players routinely sit together in the back of the orchestra. But for a recent work by Jennifer Higdon, they all move to the front of the stage—as soloists and chamber musicians. WRTI’s Susan Lewis talked with the quartet and composer about the surprising sounds we don't often hear from the low brass.

When Craig Knox premiered Jennifer Higdon's Tuba Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony last March, his performance was acclaimed as one that "hit it outta Heinz Hall." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Along with pianist Thomas Weaver and conductor Mark Russell Smith, Knox visited WRTI to perform selections from that concerto and chat with WRTI's Susan Lewis on January 24th at 12:10 PM.

Jennifer Higdon’s concerto, On a Wire, was inspired by images of birds, as well as the innovative versatility of the musicians of Eighth Blackbird, the contemporary soloist ensemble. WRTI’s Susan Lewis has more.

One of the Philadelphia region's most celebrated painters was born in 1917 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, his work has also inspired music by one of the region’s most well-known contemporary composers.