Composer Highlight
March 22, 2026
Jennifer Higdon Traveled to Chicago to Hear It First
Composer Highlight
March 22, 2026
Jennifer Higdon Traveled to Chicago to Hear It First
On March 11, 2026, Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon attended the world premiere of her NLM-commissioned work Art Measures for Violin and Piano, performed by Rabia Brooke and Nathanael Canfield at Guarneri Hall in Chicago.
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Chicago composer Stacy Garrop left a tenured university position to compose full time. From the Kronos Quartet to the Pittsburgh Symphony, her music has been heard on stages around the world. Now as Nova Linea Musica's first Composer-in-Residence, she is helping shape the future of contemporary classical music in Chicago.
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Pianist and composer Conrad Tao opened Nova Linea Musica's 2025-26 season in Chicago with the world premiere of Chris Mercer's Impromptu Florescing. In this interview, originally conducted by Brian Mackey for The 21st Show on Illinois Public Media, Tao talks about performing with live electronics, human intuition versus machine intelligence, and what it means to return to Chicago.
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Violinist Rabia Brooke has performed at Carnegie Hall and on stages across Europe. As Nova Linea Musica's founding Artist-in-Residence, she talks about commissioning new works, collaborating with composers including Jennifer Higdon and Shawn Okpebholo, and what drives her advocacy for contemporary classical music.
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May 6, 2026
6:30 pm
June 3, 2026
6:30 pm

On October 23, 2024, the Dover Quartet opened Nova Linea Musica's inaugural season at Guarneri Hall in Chicago with a sold-out performance later broadcast on WFMT. The program featured works by Jessie Montgomery, Mason Bates, George Walker, and Dvořák.
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