Sarah Gibson

The League of American Orchestras mourns the passing of composer Sarah Gibson. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Sarah Gibson’s LEAGUE COMMISSION to make this mountain taller WAS PREMIERED BY Sarasota Orchestra and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto on March 31, April 1, and 2, 2023.

An additional four orchestras performed the work in the 2023-2024 and 2024-25 seasons, part of a 30-orchestra consortium performing works by women composers commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation:

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Joyce on October 10, 2023.

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and music director Aram Demirjian on February 22 and 23, 2024.

Lansing Symphony Orchestra and music director Timothy Muffitt on March 23, 2024.

Idaho State-Civic Symphony and conductor and artistic director Nell Flanders on September 27, 2024.

Inspired by her own feelings on the day that Roe v Wade was overturned last year, Gibson drew on images of women scaling the many mountains over the centuries only to find there are still more to tackle. Using the full orchestra, Gibson does not shy away from altering the sound and using extended techniques to create the world she imagined…. I was moved nearly to tears by the impression of squelched voices … The voices clearly struggled against forces from every side and eventually broke through for glorious moments and clear vistas.

Gayle Williams, Sarasota Herald-Tribune – review of to make this mountain taller

Sarah Gibson (b. May 21 1986; d. July 14 2024) was a Los Angeles-based composer and pianist whose works drew on her breadth of experience as a collaborative performer with a deep interest in the creative process across various artistic mediums. She received honors and recognitions such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Sound Investment composer, American Composers Orchestra Underwood New Music Readings, Copland House Residency, Victor Herbert ASCAP award, and a Chamber Music America Grant. She received commissions from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, Arco Collaborative, Aspen Summer Music Festival & School, and Seattle Symphony, among others. 

Gibson’s music has been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Jennifer Koh, Departure Duo, HOCKET, and at various venues across the United States and in Europe. As a pianist, Sarah performed with many of these ensembles as well as with wild Up, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and the Atlanta Symphony where she debuted under the direction of Donald Runnicles in 2005. 

Sarah was co-founder of the new music piano duo, HOCKET, which has been lauded as “brilliant” by the LA Times’ Mark Swed, and was a core artist for the inimitable Los Angeles Series, Piano Spheres. HOCKET has held residences at Avaloch Farm Music Institute and received grants from the Earle Brown Music Foundation and the Presser Foundation. HOCKET has performed at such festivals as the MATA Festival, the L.A. Philharmonic’s Noon to Midnight, Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, and the Other Minds Festival. 

Sarah received degrees in Piano and Composition from Indiana University and the University of Southern California. Alongside Artistic Director Andrew Norman, she was the Lead-Teaching Artist for the esteemed Nancy and Barry Sanders Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Program. Sarah was Assistant Teaching Professor in Composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the College of Creative Studies and Music Department where she was the director of the Ensemble for Contemporary Music.

(April 2023) 

More from Sarah

Photo Credit: Aaron Fullerton