What do you get when you mix 2 parts classical virtuoso, 1 part musical chameleon, a whole heap of feisty and a dash of daring? You get "Classical Music's No.1 Maverick" Jade Simmons, one of the most exciting and versatile artists on the scene today. Her program, The -Romejii Sessions (a condensed version of her new one-woman show -Romejii) is a dynamic concert adventure that features jaw-dropping classical music, playing the heck out of the piano's innards and working magic with loop pedals. It made it's debut at SXSW 2014 where she was deemed one of the festival's "Best Acts of 2014".
The chip on her shoulder from coming in 1strunner-up at Miss America causes her to constantly go after wins and right now she's winning with an incredibly diverse list of accolades: Essence magazine featured the pianist alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas on their first-ever Style & Substance List. Ebony magazine considered her one of the Top 30 Leaders under 30, Houston Press dubbed her Houston's Best Arts Ambassador, she's the webcast host for the Van Cliburn International Piano competition, writer for the Huffington Post, has co-hosted and curated an episode of Performance Today alongside American Public Media's legendary Fred Child and as an Emergence Expert she speaks to corporations, organizations and Fortune 500 companies about innovation, record-breaking and overall maverick behavior.
Yamaha calls Jade a "musical force of nature" who has toured the US extensively playing recitals in designer gowns, nightclubs donning leather, the White House, the Supreme Court, Ravinia, the Detroit Institute of Arts and everything in between. September of 2012, at the Apple store in Soho, the classical darling dared to debut her rap skills in the land of Jay-Z while celebrating her newly founded label Superwoman Records and the release of her genre-smashing EP Playing with Fire. Audiences have come to expect creative projects backed by riveting performances. Jade released her debut CD in March 2009 for eOne Music entitled Revolutionary Rhythm, praised by Allmusic.com as "a thought-provoking, entertaining, and fun debut that easily establishes Simmons as a major talent."
The Composers Now Festival celebrates living composers, the diversity of their voices and the significance of their musical contributions to our society. During the month of February, the Festival brings together dozens of performances presented by venues, ensembles, orchestras, opera companies, dance companies and many other innovative events throughout New York City. Experience the sounds and get to know the creators behind the music. From jazz to indie, from classical to electronic and beyond, join us on a sonic journey through the landscape of the arts of our time. Composers will be in attendance at all events and will be interacting with audiences. Composers Now is a project partner of The Fund for the City of New York. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ASCAP Foundation, the BMI Foundation, the Cheswatyr Foundation and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
$15 in advance, $20 day of performance
