Hilary Purrington

Something fierce

Something fierce, commissioned in 2019 by violinist Megan Healy, celebrates the memory and legacy of violin virtuoso Maud Powell (1867–1920). While I had previously composed for the violin in chamber and orchestral capacities, I hadn’t yet attempted a solo work that showcases the instrument’s full range and timbral variety. Given the violin’s rich history and repertoire, I was initially intimidated by the project. Seeking to contribute a challenging and idiomatic work to the instrument’s literature, I filled my knowledge gaps by studying masterworks and by developing rudimentary playing skills. Something fierce, unfolding across two related movements, explores and embraces the violin’s many timbral characters.

Given the female-focused nature of Megan Healy’s project—commissioning a cohort of women composers to celebrate the legacy of a trailblazing violin virtuoso—I wanted to choose a title that possesses a distinctly feminine reference. The adjective “fierce” is often employed to describe bold, ambitious women who uncompromisingly pursue their goals and bring about meaningful changes, and this certainly describes Maud Powell. In addition to earning international recognition within a male-dominated field, she served as a tireless advocate for music by women composers and composers of color, and Healy’s project furthers Powell’s remarkable legacy. I’m grateful to Megan for commissioning Something fierce and for advancing female voices within classical music. 

Hilary Purrington is a New York City-based composer of chamber, vocal, and orchestral music. Her work has received recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the International Alliance for Women in Music, and the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), among others. 

Purrington’s orchestral and chamber works have been performed by many distinguished ensembles, including the Peabody Modern Orchestra, the American Modern Ensemble, Voices of Change, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Her orchestral work Likely Pictures in Haphazard Sky, premiered by the Yale Philharmonia, has been read by the Philadelphia and American Composers Orchestras and performed by the Minnesota Orchestra. Recent commissions include new works for the New York Youth Symphony, the NOVUS Trombone Quartet, and Washington Square Winds. Upcoming projects include commissions the Philadelphia Orchestra and the American Composers Orchestra. For the 2018-19 season, Purrington was named the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra's Composer of the Year and served as composer-in-residence for the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble.
Purrington has also composed several works for dance. Most recently, the Albany Symphony commissioned Patterns, a new work for chamber orchestra. Inspired by the life of fashion arbiter Ellen Louise Demorest, the piece featured the Albany Berkshire Ballet with choreography by Mary Talmi. In 2018, Purrington participated in Periapsis Music and Dance’s Emerging Artist Residencies and created a new work with choreographer Annalee Traylor, which premiered in May 2019. While attending The Juilliard School, Purrington collaborated with choreographer Stephanie Terasaki to create a new work for brass quartet and dance.  
Also an accomplished vocalist, Purrington has developed a reputation as a skilled composer of solo and choral music. Her song For your judicious and pious consideration was premiered by mezzo-soprano Adele Grabowsky on the 2016 NY Phil Biennial’s New Music New Haven concert. In 2015, the Eric Stokes Fund commissioned Purrington to compose a new song cycle about the devastating effects of climate change. The resulting work, A Clarion Call, was premiered at the 2017 Conference for Ecology and Religion hosted by the Yale Divinity School. Recent vocal commissions include new works for the Melodia Women’s Choir of NYC, Yale Glee Club, inFLUX, and the Bowers/Fader Duo. In April 2019, C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective premiered John Eason Stops Preaching, a new work with words by contemporary poet Julia Bouwsma.
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Originally from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Purrington lives and works in New York City. She holds degrees from the Yale School of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.  

Learn more about Hilary here