Jennifer Higdon writes love songs to her wife each year. In ‘Late Night Snacks,’ young queer composers performed wonderful reinterpretations.

Philadelphia composer Jennifer Higdon has written Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning compositions for orchestras and operas all over the world. And every year, she carves out time to craft something more personal: a love song for her wife, Cheryl Lawson, as a Valentine’s Day gift.

“Our love is like a quilt; it will protect you,” Higdon said of the inspiration for the song, “Our Quiet.”

The couple met as high school flutists in Tennessee and have been together now for 43 years. On Saturday night, they were greeted with fanfare by an audience excited to celebrate their relationship and hear some of the intimate music that has fueled it over the decades.

The loosely Beetles-themed evening was part of Late Night Snacks, a variety series from the Bearded Ladies Cabaret with rotating hosts, elaborate costumes, and raunchy jokes. At the Closet — aptly named for ample coming-out quips — Higdon and Lawson sat together on the stage sidelines to hear four of Higdon’s personal compositions reinterpreted.

Queer composer-singers Samantha Rise, Mel Hsu, and Emily Bate performed their versions in an intergenerational musical exchange. The host, Jarbeaux, a.k.a. John Jarboe, Bearded Ladies founder and artistic director, wore a gray bodysuit decorated with gold frames and labels for different art forms. Fine, commercial, and pop coexisted with cheeky cutouts to reveal a glittery nipple and a kiss print on her butt.

Although Late Night Snacks, a partnership between the Fringe Festival and Opera Philadelphia’s O23 Festival, can contain more nudity and “adult content,” this show was less focused on lust and instead presented an earnest exploration of queer love. The evening was tender and full of incredible music, though I did think I’d see something a little more scandalous. (Guess I’ll just have to go back.)

I’m hopeful that, if the venue becomes more of a permanent fixture, the Bearded Ladies urgently invest in upgrades. Mood lighting, rainbow murals, and the classy feel of cabaret table seating can’t gloss over the discomfort of using a porta potty (which Jarbeaux jokingly called Portia).

The singing did help me forget all of that. Rise’s interpretation of “To Home” was a deep, hum-filled tune that evoked the contented feeling of returning home to your partner. Rise was accompanied by a guitarist who loosened the strings to warp the sound and mimic a gentle descent into comfort. Later, Rise performed the more upbeat “Our Quiet,” with impressive vibrato for a jazzy echo.

Bate sang a different jazzy tune, “Morning Opens,” with bright funk. Hsu brought out her cello named Charles, a laptop, and an audio mixer to sing layers of “Threaded.” Watching Hsu build on top of a pulse was like an insider’s view into her studio. Toward the end, Higdon said she liked these versions of her compositions even better than the originals.

Between songs, Jarbeaux interviewed her and Lawson about their relationship.

When Higdon went to college and Lawson was still in high school, they were allowed one weekly 20-minute phone call, supervised by Lawson’s mom. They remained strong through the distance and the familial discomfort, boldly pursuing their lives together romantically and later in business, too. (Lawson manages the couple’s publishing company, Lawdon Press.)

Higdon went on to study at the Curtis Institute and earned a doctorate in composition from Penn. A darling of the classical music scene both locally and internationally, she is one of the most frequently performed composers in the country and her work “Fanfare Ritmico” is part of this week’s opening night concert for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In Late Night Snacks, the Beatles bits were a nod to Higdon’s inspirations, which come not solely from the classical genre but from classic rock as well. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of her favorite albums, so all three singer-composers performed covers of “With a Little Help from My Friends” and the titular song, reworked to “Sgt. Higdon’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Those loving compositions were an immense pleasure to hear and made the Philadelphia audience fall in love with Higdon all over again.

“Late Night Snacks” runs Sept. 27 through Oct. 1 with various showtimes at the Closet, 201 South St., Phila., operaphila.org, 215-732-8400.