New Classical Featured Artist – 02/13/23 – 02/26/23
In this week’s playlist, we bring you works by GRAMMY-nominated composer, Carlos Simon. With activism and social justice at the heart of his writing, composer Carlos Simon is known for his symphonic, concert and film compositions. Growing up in a musical family, with the church and gospel music at the heart of this, Carlos takes great inspiration from writers such as Terrance Hayes, Colson Whitehead, Linn Nottage Emma Lazarus, Isabel Wilkerson, Amanda Gorman and liturgical texts, as well as the art of Romare Bearden. Recently announced as Composer in Residence at the Kennedy Center, Carlos’ work has been performed by the world’s best orchestras and soloists including New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and LA Philharmonic. Carlos was named a Sundance/Time Warner Composer Fellow in 2018, seeing him work at the legendary Skywalker Ranch and he was a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2021.
A “young composer on the rise, with an ear for social justice” (NPR), Simon’s latest album, Requiem for the Enslaved, is a multi-genre musical tribute to commemorate the stories of the 272 enslaved men, women, and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University, and was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Released by Decca in June 2022, this work sees Simon infuse his original compositions with African American spirituals and familiar Catholic liturgical melodies, performed by Hub New Music Ensemble, Marco Pavé, and MK Zulu. He has also been acting as music director and keyboardist for GRAMMY Award winner Jennifer Holliday and has performed with the Boston Pops Symphony, Jackson Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony. Carlos has also toured internationally with soul GRAMMY-nominated artist Angie Stone and performed throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.
We’ll hear works by Carlos Simon throughout this playlist and much more. Connect with Classical Music Indy Streamng’s New Classical channel as we continue celebrating Black History Month.
Image credit: Terrance Ragland
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