The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is receiving a 2016 Art Works award from The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help fund a community engagement project centered on Hiraeth, a new work by Princeton composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. The work was co-commissioned by the PSO in honor of its 35th anniversary celebrating the creativity of women, a tribute to Ms. Snider’s first teacher and founding artistic director of the PSO, Portia Sonnefeld.

Upon learning of the Art Works award, PSO Executive Director Marc Uys said, “It’s terrific to receive this recognition from the NEA as it validates our mission to continue to bring new music to our patrons and the greater Princeton community. Beyond being a talented woman, Sarah is quite simply a talented composer, with whom we are very fortunate to work.”

Sarah Kirkland Snider writes music of vivid narrative. Her works have been commissioned and performed widely by orchestras and smaller ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. In September 2015, she released her second full-length album Unremembered on New Amsterdam Records. Snider holds a master’s degree and artist diploma from the Yale School of Music.

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