One Book, One Philadelphia Event at the Kimmel
Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried, and Grammy Award-nominated composer Jennifer Higdon feature their works inspired by the Vietnam War
February 23, 2005
Jennifer Higdon
The performance is part of the Free in the Plaza series at the Kimmel which showcase a variety of performances including sing-alongs and storytelling for the whole family, as well as classical, jazz, folk, world music, modern dance and musical theater on the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza stage.
One Book, One Philadelphia is a collaborative initiative of the Office of Mayor John F. Street and the Free Library of Philadelphia and a media partnership with WHYY which seeks to promote reading, literacy, and community by encouraging the region to read and discuss a single book. Visit www.library.phila.gov for more information.
Please Note: This performance will take place in the Perelman Theater. General seating will be available on a first-come, first served basis beginning at 12:30pm.
"Apprehension and an undulating fearfulness circle about 'Zones,' whose timpani rolls occasionally suggest the infamous helicopter scene in 'Apocalypse Now.' Without that soundtrack's slick manipulations or otherwise novel techniques, Higdon has created a moving work, whose approximately 20 minutes convey strong emotions steered by skill. It made a vivid impression on the audience...." noted Lesley Valdes of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Tim O’Brien is an award-winning author, perhaps best known for his fictional portrayals of the Vietnam conflict. He was born in 1946 in Austin , Minnesota and graduated summa cum laude from Macalester College in 1968. From 1969 to 1970, he served as an infantryman with the US Army in Vietnam . Following his service in the military, he pursued graduate studies in Government at Harvard University. He worked as a national affairs reporter for The Washington Post from 1973 to 1974.
Mr. O’Brien is the author of Going After Cacciato, which received the National Book Award in fiction, and In The Lake of the Woods, which received the James Fenimore Cooper Prize from the Society of American Historians and was named best novel of the year by Time magazine. His short fiction has appeared in numerous literary and popular magazines. His other books are If I Die in a Combat Zone, Northern Lights, The Nuclear Age, Tomcat in Love, and July, July.
Mr. O’Brien currently holds the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Chair in Creative Writing at Southwest Texas State University. Internationally recognized for her bold, musically adventurous orchestral compositions, Jennifer Higdon has commissioned works for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra. Her pieces have been performed at prestigious venues throughout the country including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Weill Hall, Alice Tully and the White House, and have been recorded on twenty-four discs.
Higdon has received national and international awards from various organizations including the Guggenheim Foundation, the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the University of Delaware New Music Competition and the International League of Women Composers. In 1996, USA Today named her orchestral composition Shine as the Best New Piece of the Year in Classical Music.
A resident of Philadelphia, Higdon currently teaches composition at the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck $ Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte and Southern Wine and Spirit.
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