Composer and Pianist Carlos Simon: You Never Know Whos Listening
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Atlanta, Carlos Simon has become one of classical music\u2019s most eloquent and visible chroniclers of the Black American experience. Although it\u2019s not just classical music \u2013 Carlos draws on jazz, R&B, and especially gospel music, as Simon is the son of a preacher. Music is\xa0his pulpit, and he says he uses music as therapy and to make sense of it all. He's toured from the back of a flatbed truck, done street-busking, and played cocktail piano music in bars, with\xa0an ever-optimistic outlook of\xa0"You never know who\u2019s listening\u201d.
\nHe\u2019s currently Composer-In-Residence at the Kennedy Center, and his 2022 LP called Requiem For The Enslaved was nominated for a Grammy. Now, he\u2019s released two recordings in quick succession \u2013 first Breadth, an orchestral response to the killing of George Floyd, and just one week later, Together, a collection that features Carlos Simon performing solo piano works and a few small ensemble pieces. He plays some of these solo works at our piano, and a rendition of a well-known hymn, with special guest cellist Seth Parker-Woods.
\nWatch Amazing Grace with Seth Parker-Woods, cello:
\n\nWatch Memory of Summer:
\n\nWatch Traveling Song: