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The Roundtable

Pulitzer Prize winning 'Sky Islands' by Susie Ibarra performed at SUNY New Paltz on 3/10

By Sarah LaDuke

Published March 5, 2026 at 11:32 AM EST

Susie Ibarra

Susie Ibarra is a composer, percussionist, and sound artist. Her interdisciplinary practice includes composition, performance, mobile sound-mapping applications, multichannel audio installations, recording, and documentary. Among her many projects, she is the founder of Susie Ibarra Studio and, with artist-musician and engineer Jake Landau, the label and publisher Habitat Sounds.

Contemporary pianist and composer Alex Peh is an Associate Professor of Music at SUNY New Paltz, a 2021 Fulbright Global Scholar and 2019 Asian Cultural Council Fellow.

Together with flutist Claire Chase, Ibarra and Peh make up the trio, Talking Gong. Their newest piece created by Ibarra, ‘Sky Islands,’ received the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in music. The North American premiere of ‘Sky Islands’ took place at the Asia Society in New York City in 2024.

‘Sky Islands’ will make a grand return to the Hudson Valley when it’s performed at SUNY Paltz on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studley Theatre.

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The Roundtable SUNY New Paltz New Paltz composer contemporary alex peh rain forest susie ibarra pulitzer prize

Sarah LaDuke

Sarah has worked in radio since she graduated from college in 2006. In her work with WAMC, she often interviews regional and global artists in all fields including music, theatre, film, television, and visual arts. During the main thrust of the Covid-19 pandemic shut-down, Sarah hosted a live Instagram interview program "A Face for Radio Video Series." On it, Sarah spoke with artists about the creative activities they were accomplishing and/or missing. She is on the board of WAM Theatre and lives in Albany, New York with her husband, Paul, and their dog, Doritos.

See stories by Sarah LaDuke

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