Feeling 70's Funky...
My patriarchal heritage shows three generations of preachers. My great grand father, Bishop Henry C. Brooks, who began preaching in 1925, my grandfather, Bishop Charles W. Hairston in 1947 and my father Bishop Carlos O. Simon, Sr. in 1994. I chose to use audio clips from past sermons after discovering old LP and several old cassette tapes of sermons from my great grandfather and grandfather.
This piece is inspired by five Black Americans who have influenced me and my identity as a composer-Bessie smith, Maya Angelou, Ronald E. McNair, Cornel west and Herbie Hancock. Each movement is meant to embody the work and personality (as best as I can gather) through music. I want to not only pay homage to these giants, but offer a character study through music of their works.
Go Down Moses arrangement for University of Michigan Symphony Band
Good News Mass is a groundbreaking orchestral composition with choir, soloists and spoken word artist that merges gospel fervour with the liturgical structure of the Catholic Mass.
This work is inspired by the countless artists around the world whose self-expression allows their audiences to redefine and reexamine art. Is it art or vandalism? Co-commissioned by the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music made possible by the Frank Ticheli Guest Artist Endowed Fund.
I have been constantly aware of the presence of my ancestors in my life. The benevolent forefathers and foremothers are there to help, guide and assist. This piece is inspired by a poem by nayyirah waheed, which simply asks the ancestors to speak louder if you can not 'hear them'.
Hellfighters' Blues is a short orchestral work based upon the life and work of leading Black American musician and bandleader James Reese Europe. The work was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 for the Last Night of the Proms 2024, and co-commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
Here I Stand, a dramatic oratorio, focusses on the once famous African-American singer, actor, activist, and thinker, Paul Robeson.
This piece was commissioned by Lineage Percussion for Shadows of Lakeland
It All Falls Down is a short work by Carlos Simon and Mark Bamuthi Joseph as part of the Kennedy Center's Written In Stone
Journey is inspired by a poem by Narendra Kuppan. Composed with support from the National Orchestral Institute + Festival
Let America be America again.
As young boy, I worked with my grandfather during the summers paving driveways in Rocky Mount, Virginia. He was a task master. Things had to be done the right way and with haste when he asked for it in his own playful way. This piece, in its whimsical character, draws on inspiration from the colloquial phrase, Lickety Split, coined in the 1860s, meaning to do something quickly or in a hurry.
The pandemic of COVID-19 has continued to influence my social, professional and personal life in ways that I never imagined. Day to day life has been like a continuous “loop”; a never-ending quarantine loop. This piece reflects my feelings about the mandated stay-at-home order during this crisis.
Amazing Grace was written over 250 years ago by John Newton, and has become easily recognized by those around the world from all faiths and walks of life. This work uses fragments of the melody to explore the idea of ‘grace’.
A mellow jazz composition...
This piece represents the desire to get out and MOVE - an imaginary syncopated joyride that moves with enery and forward motion.
This work, premiered in 2022, is the second American solo flute concerto by a Black composer. In a time of cultural and civil change, this piece helps in creating a more diverse and inclusive environment for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) musicians, and a richer repertoire for the orchestral community.
"The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:31 NLT
Art songs have long been an interest of mine. The vocal works of Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg have always seem to ignite my passion for composing music
The uncles arrive in Chicago after dark at their sister’s apartment to pick up their niece Conchetta. Big city music. Conchetta is thrilled to go “home” to see her relatives—her grandmother, her aunts, her “play aunts.” She sings about the rough world of the big city and longs for the small town life in Tennessee.
This piece traces the evolution of black people in America through the lens of the black woman.
text by Langston Hughes