Ibarra Wins Pulitzer; Yao, Dease Named Guggenheim Fellows

News, Susie Ibarra, John Yao, Michael Dease

By DownBeat I Jun. 17, 2025

Susie Ibarra’s Pulitzer-winning extended composition *Sky Islands* is a musical call to action that draws attention to the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
(Photo: Courtesy Black Tea Music)

Filipinx-American composer, percussionist and sound artist Susie Ibarra has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her extended composition Sky Islands, a musical call to action that draws attention to the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Commissioned by the Asia Society in New York, where it had its world premiere in July 2024, the piece was composed for Ibarra’s eight-piece ensemble with Claire Chase on flute, Alex Peh on piano and Levy Lorenzo and Ibarra on percussion joined by the Bergamot Quartet (violinists Ledah Finck and Sarah Thomas, violist Amy Huimei Tan and cellist Irène Han).

Sky Islands challenges the notion of the compositional voice by interweaving the musicianship and improvisational skills of a soloist as a creative tool. Inspired by the rainforest habitats of Luzon, Philippines, it features the interlocking rhythms and melodies of Philippine Northern style bamboo, gong and flute music.

Ibarra leads multiple ensembles, including the Talking Gong Trio with Chase and Peh. She has recorded albums and collaborated on projects with Graham Reynolds, Jeffrey Zeigler, Richard Reed Parry, the Arneis String Quartet and PRISM Quartet.

In a press release congratulating Ibarra on her Pulitzer win, PRISM noted that its ties to Ibarra date back to 2018, when the saxophone quartet first worked with her and Tyshawn Sorey, another PRISM collaborator and winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Music, during a residency at the Free Library of Philadelphia titled “Unlocking Your Inner Composer.” As part of the project, PRISM also commissioned Ibarra for Procession Along The Aciga Tree for saxophone quartet and percussion, released in 2023 on XAS Records. PRISM’s upcoming work with Ibarra includes the 2026 release of a new album of her music for saxes and percussion, and music by her mentee, Indonesian composer Gardika Gigih.

In other major awards news, composer, arranger, trombonist and educator John Yao has received a Guggenheim Fellowship in the field of Music Composition.

“It’s an honor to part of the 100th class of fellows across 53 fields,” Yao said in announcing the award. “This project has been several years in the making, and I’m thrilled to have to the opportunity to bring it to life with the support of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.”

John Yao & His 17-piece Instrument, a New York-based big band, will be releasing a new album, Points In Time (See Tao Recordings), on July 11, following a 10-year hiatus. For the album’s repertoire, Yao culled favorite tunes from throughout his discography, revising small-band compositions in vibrant new big band arrangements. He also showcases new pieces he’s penned since the 2015 release of his first big band album, Flip-Flop, including works premiered during the “Big Band & Beyond” concert series that the JY-17 hosted at Greenwich House Music School.

Another jazz artist named to the 100th Class of Guggenheim Fellows is trombonist, baritone saxophonist, composer and educator Michael Dease, whose new double album, City Life (Origin Records), drops June 20. DB