Carlos Simon - "The Block"; "Motherboxx Connection"; "Dance" (soloist: mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges); "Wake up!" concerto for orchestra.

August 23rd, 2024 saw the release of this disc of contemporary works by Carlos Simon, a talented 38-year-old African-American musician, activist, performer, composer-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., composer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and associate professor at Georgetown University. He has released nine albums to date. His most recent includes four symphonic works - "The Block," "A Folklore Symphony," Songs of Separation (recorded with mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges as soloist), and the Concerto for Orchestra "Wake up!". The works were recorded live in concert performances that took place between 2021 and 2024 on the Kennedy Center for the Arts stage.

The Washington-affiliated ensemble recorded this album under the guidance of Gianandrea Noseda, one of the world's most acclaimed conductors, music director of the Washington Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Zurich Opera, guest principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and director of the Tsinandali Festival. The Italian musician has revitalized the Washington National Symphony Orchestra during his nine years at the helm of the prestigious ensemble founded in 1930, has helped enrich its repertoire, and has included contemporary North American scores in its programs. Carlos Simon is one of the most successful composers in this field, so his works could not be missing from the Washington Orchestra's recordings.

Carlos Simon was born in 1986 in Atlanta. His father was a shepherd and gospel music was a constant in his family. This North American Christian style can be found in Carlos Simon's music, as well as influences of modern Western trends, jazz elements and neoclassical aspects reminiscent of Beethoven and Brahms. Carlos Simon studied at Morehouse College and Georgia State University, before enrolling at the University of Michigan, where he did his doctoral studies with Michael Daugherty and Evan Chambers. In 2019 he became a professor at Georgetown University. Carlos Simon is one of North America's most respected composers, and his pieces have been performed by the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, the Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.