biography.
Described as “movingly lyrical” (Avant Music News) and “quirky but attractive” (The Art Music Lounge), the music of Cara Haxo (b. 1991) often incorporates stories, poetry, and artwork. Haxo was awarded the 2019 International Alliance for Women in Music Libby Larsen Prize, the 2013 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Composers Award, the 2013 IAWM Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize, and second prize in the 2012 Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Student/Collegiate Composers Contest. She has received commissions from the International Contemporary Ensemble, Quince Ensemble, Splinter Reeds, and the PRISM Quartet, amongst other ensembles. Recordings of her music have been released by New Focus Recordings.
A native of Massachusetts, Haxo earned her Ph.D. in Composition at the University of Oregon, where she worked as a Graduate Teaching Fellow in Music Theory. She also holds degrees from Butler University and The College of Wooster. Her teachers have included Robert Kyr, David Crumb, Michael Schelle, Frank Felice, Peter Mowrey, and Jack Gallagher. She previously taught private piano, theory, and composition lessons through the Butler Community Arts School in Indianapolis. Haxo is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Composition at Notre Dame College in Ohio and an Academic Dean and faculty member during the annual summer session of The Walden School Young Musicians Program. When she is not composing, Haxo enjoys baking muffins, going on long road trips, and reading Harry Potter in French. |