NEW YORK CITY — The 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music has been awarded to renowned composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra for her powerful and environmentally inspired composition Sky Islands. The award celebrates Ibarra’s groundbreaking work that merges Filipino ancestral rhythms with contemporary classical form, creating a sonic tribute to the biodiversity and cultural memory of the Philippines.
The Pulitzer Board praised Sky Islands for “challenging the notion of the compositional voice by interweaving the profound musicianship and improvisational skills of a soloist as a creative tool.”
Soundscapes of the Philippines
Sky Islands, commissioned by the Asia Society, premiered on July 18, 2024, in New York City. The piece evokes the disappearing “sky island” ecosystems in the mountaintops of Luzon, home to unique rainforest species and indigenous traditions.
The eight-part ensemble performance features Ibarra on percussion alongside flutist Claire Chase, pianist Alex Peh, and members of the Bergamot Quartet. The composition uses sculptural gongs, native percussive instruments, and contemporary textures to explore the intersections of climate, culture, and sound.
A Life Committed to Sound, Heritage, and Ecology
Susie Ibarra was born in Anaheim, California, and raised in Houston, Texas. She began playing piano as a child and studied jazz and experimental percussion in college. She holds a B.A. from Goddard College and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes College of Music. Her mentors include jazz pioneer Milford Graves and kulintang master Danongan “Danny” Kalanduyan.
A multi-disciplinary artist, Ibarra blends avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical music, and traditional Filipino percussive arts. She has collaborated with Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, and Yo La Tengo, with performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Modern Art.
She is also co-founder of Song of the Bird King, an organization dedicated to preserving indigenous music and ecological knowledge. Her recent works include Water Rhythms: Listening to Climate Change and international collaborations focused on freshwater preservation and climate adaptation.
Ibarra currently teaches at Bennington College, contributing to the Center for the Advancement of Public Action, where she focuses on arts in public life, environmental issues, and human rights.
Recognitions and Honors
In addition to the Pulitzer, Ibarra is a recipient of several prestigious fellowships and awards:
2025 Creative Capital Artist Award
2024 Charles Ives Fellowship, American Academy of Arts and Letters
2024–2025 DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program Fellowship
2022 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Music Fellowship
2019 United States Artists Music Fellowship
2014 TED Senior Fellowship
2020 National Geographic Explorer Storytelling Grant
A Filipino Voice on the Global Stage
Sky Islands marks a major moment not only in Ibarra’s career but for the broader Filipino and Asian American creative communities. As she continues to tour and bring her music to global audiences, Ibarra remains an emblem of how tradition and innovation can harmonize to tell vital, enduring stories.
