With her composition "Sky Islands," Filipino-American composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music, marking yet another significant milestone for the Philippine music scene.
The prize was presented with two other recipients of the Creative Capital Award: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who received the Drama prize for Purpose, and Percival Everett, who won in Fiction for James.
Outstanding composition
Sky Islands has been praised as a potent ecological and cultural soundscape since its July 2024 premiere at the Asia Society in New York.
It "challenges the notion of the compositional voice by interweaving the profound musicianship and improvisational skills of a soloist as a creative tool," according to the Pulitzer committee.
Ibarra wrote Sky Islands while she was a fellow with the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in 2024–2025, where she concentrated on environmental music and sound research.
Who is Susie Ibarra?
Susie Ibarra was taught in both Philippine kulintang customs and Western classical music while growing up in Houston with Filipino parents. Her multidisciplinary approach frequently combines aspects of electronic music, theater, jazz, and opera.
In addition to her artistic pursuits, Ibarra supports cultural preservation and environmental conservation.
Ibarra was chosen as this year's Creative Capital recipient for her "CHAN: Sonnets and Devotions in the Wilderness," a collection of six traditional Filipino love ballads known as “kundimans” that honor the Pasig River and other natural settings.
