Abstract: This document highlights the signature compositional traits of Jennifer Higdon through a stylistic analysis of three of her works: two chamber works for flute and piano, Autumn Reflection, and Legacy , and one orchestral work, blue cathedral. Higdon is an internationally known and respected contemporary composer. She began her formal musical training in college as a flutist and considers the linear quality of the single-line instrument the impetus for her compositional style. The most significant structural components examined in these works are programmatic elements and linear direction. The programmatic elements are represented through her use of imagery and narratives, which create specific pictures or storylines in the listener's mind. The importance of linear direction is examined through the contrapuntal elements utilized in her melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic writing. It is evident within these three works that linear continuity is an essential aspect of Higdon's compositional style. Whether writing a small chamber piece or a work for full orchestra, Higdon maintains these signature characteristics, which are based upon her study of a single-line instrument, the flute.