Washington renews activist composer

Press release:

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts President Deborah F. Rutter announces the extension of Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon’s contract through the 2026–2027 season. Simon began his three-year residency at the Kennedy Center, the U.S. National Cultural Center, in the 2021–2022 season and in total, has had 19 of his works programmed including nine commissions across the many genres of the Kennedy Center, with more commissions to be announced. The extension acknowledges the contributions Simon has made to the Kennedy Center and music industry, and reaffirms the Center’s commitment to Simon’s creative endeavors.

Carlos Simon’s contract extension comes as the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, announces the release of its next recording, an album of Four Symphonic Works by Carlos Simon recorded live and released on the NSO’s label. The album will include Tales—A Folklore Symphony, The Block, Songs of Separation, and Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra. The first EP, Tales—A Folklore Symphony, will be available January 26.

“When Carlos Simon joined the Kennedy Center, he had big ambition, insatiable curiosity, and a voracious hunger to write music across disciplines, making him a perfect fit for this position,” said Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter. “It has been a great joy for all of us at the Kennedy Center to collaborate with Carlos and share in his artistic triumphs both here and on stages around the world. We are proud to give artists, especially artists like Carlos—whose works reflect the most salient issues of our time—a platform to share their voices. If you know Carlos, you know he is a prolific composer, and it became clear to us that Carlos had much more to say here in the Nation’s capital. He wasn’t done yet and we can’t wait to hear what’s next.”

“My time here at the Kennedy Center has been amazing. It’s been rewarding creating many new works in partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and the many other art forms here,” said Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon. “I’m looking forward to the next three years of creating and working with so many accomplished musicians and artists. I am grateful that I continue to be supported in my growth in my career and in my artistic expression.”

Social Impact Work at the Kennedy Center
Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, Marc Bamuthi Joseph: “Carlos and I graduated from Morehouse College 10 years apart, and our creative partnership feels like an extension of the brotherhood, aspiration, and moral urgency that is culturally imbued at the alma mater we share with Dr. King. Each of our collaborations speaks to the inherent possibilities of the classical idiom to engage fully with the social contract. As Vice President of Social Impact here, it thrills me that the Kennedy Center is clearly aware of Carlos’ exceptional talent, but also attuned to his ethical sensibilities, and looks to facilitate both his prodigious musical capacity as well as his composition of an equitable future.”