Susie Ibarra, Mannes Alum, Wins Pulitzer Prize for Music
Susie Ibarra, Mannes Professional Studies Diploma ‘94, has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Ibarra received the prize for “Sky Islands,” a musical call to action that draws attention to the Earth’s biodiversity, changing climate, and global community practices. It was commissioned by the Asia Society New York and had its world premiere there in July, 2024.
The performance featured Ibarra and Levy Lorenzo, assistant professor of Creative Technologies, on percussion, along with the Bergamot Quartet—the inaugural Cuker and Stern Graduate String Quartet in Residence at Mannes.
Ibarra is a Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist. Her interdisciplinary practice includes composition, performance, mobile sound-mapping applications, multichannel audio installations, recording, and documentary.