COMPOSER CARLOS SIMON ANNOUNCED AS INAUGURAL COMPOSER CHAIR WITH BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
25/1/2024
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced Carlos Simon as its inaugural Deborah and Philip Edmundson Composer Chair, the first of its kind in the orchestra’s 143-year history.
In this three-season position, commencing in the 2024 – 25 season, Grammy-nominated Simon will provide one of the many throughlines in the organization: working together with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons and President and CEO Chad Smith to animate the BSO programming, including new compositions, educational initiatives, artist-curated programs, and humanities programming presented in partnership with the newly-announced Boston Symphony Orchestra Humanities Institute. This new position encompasses all areas of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s organisation and, in keeping with Nelsons’ Alliance program established in 2017, Simon’s works will also be programmed with the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig (GHO).
As well as this monumental position, Carlos Simon’s Composer in Residence position at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has also been extended through 26/27 – cementing a relationship that sees newly commissioned works across multiple genres across the Center, national and international performances, and work in the Social Impact Department. This contract extension comes as the National Symphony Orchestra presents a live album of Four Symphonic Works by Carlos Simon on the NSO’s label.
“The Boston Symphony has a long history of music-making, and being the inaugural Composer Chair is certainly a privilege. It’s an honor that I don’t take lightly, and I would like to use this opportunity to build on that history both through my music as well as through mentorship and education.”
Carlos Simon
This impressive, industry-defying moment for Carlos Simon, in partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center teams, perfectly captures Polyarts’ vision for its artists, championed by Moema Parrott and Tabitha McGrath, to expand the realms of what is possible for contemporary classical and orchestral music and how to reach new audiences in changing times.
In recent years, Simon’s has been commissioned by the likes of the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra (a landmark work in response to the murder of George Floyd, and subsequently released on Decca Records), Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Washington National Opera (in collaboration with Mo Willems).
Carlos Simon’s mark on the industry continues its meteoric rise, with future commissions from the Metropolitan Opera and multiple international orchestras yet to be announced. The remainder of this season also sees concert curation with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, premieres with LA Master Chorale and Colorado Symphony Orchestra as well as performances of his Grammy-nominated work Requiem for the Enslaved, and his first televised score for upcoming series, Shame of Chicago.
For management and bookings, please contact Moema Parrott and Tabitha McGrath.