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Susie Ibarra wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music with “Sky Islands”
Filipino-American composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her groundbreaking work Sky Islands, a composition that blends environmental consciousness with rich musical heritage.
Commissioned by the Asia Society and premiered on July 18, 2024, in New York, Sky Islands is inspired by the distinct rainforest ecosystems of Luzon in the Philippines. The piece explores themes of biodiversity, climate change, and community practices through the lens of traditional Philippine sounds—specifically, Northern style bamboo, gong, and flute music.
At the premiere, audiences were introduced to a striking new sound world, featuring Floating Gardens—sculptural gongs that served as both instruments and visual centrepieces. The eight-piece ensemble, including Ibarra herself, flutist Claire Chase, pianist Alex Peh, and members of the Bergamot Quartet, showcased a vibrant fusion of improvisation and structure.
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.” Ibarra received a $15,000 prize as part of the honour.
This win adds to Ibarra’s long list of accomplishments in music, education, and ecological advocacy. As the founder of Susie Ibarra Studio and Habitat Sounds, she works at the intersection of sound, sustainability, and social justice. Her initiatives include field recordings of Indigenous music, projects highlighting glacial retreat, and support for music education programs like Joudour Sahara in Morocco.
Ibarra has performed around the globe and collaborated with artists such as Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, and Yo La Tengo. Her past works have been presented at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Modern Art. She’s also known for co-founding Song of the Bird King, an organization devoted to preserving Indigenous music and ecological knowledge in the Philippines.
Raised in Houston by Filipino parents and trained in both Western classical and Philippine kulintang traditions, Ibarra’s career spans avant-garde jazz, opera, electronic music, and theatre. Her accolades include fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, and United States Artists.
From punk rock roots to Pulitzer Prize winner, Susie Ibarra’s Sky Islands is not only a celebration of cultural and ecological interconnection—it’s a reminder of music’s power to shape and reflect our world.