Jade Simmons, Piano

New Music/New Places Fellow

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Known for her musical creativity and electrifying stage presence, pianist Jade Simmons is committed to expanding the boundaries of classical music.  Chosen as Concert Artist Guild’s New Music/New Places Fellow, Jade offers a diverse mix of repertoire from the classics to the cutting edge, all presented with her unique communicative powers.  The Washington Post branded her “A clear, powerful pianist with a magnetic personality…worth seeing any time.”

As CAG’s New Music/New Places Fellow she has the opportunity to create innovative projects and present them in a variety of venues. Her program Kandinsky and Scriabin: Hearing Color, Seeing Sound, which makes its debut in the 2009-10 season, focuses on links between the creative arts,and The Rhythm Project isan exploration of percussive piano playing. 

An extension of The Rhythm Project, Jade Simmons released her debut CD in March 2009 for E1 (formerly Koch Classics) entitled Revolutionary Rhythm, praised by allmusic.com as “a thought-provoking, entertaining, and fun debut that easily establishes Simmons as a major talent.”  This recording of American composers features sonatas by Samuel Barber and John Corigliano, as well as works by Russell Pinkston (Tale Spin) and Daniel Bernard Roumain (Hip Hop Studies and Etudes).

In the 2008-09 season, Ms. Simmons toured the US extensively, visiting over 25 cities in more than 15 states, highlighted by recitals at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, the University of Washington World Series in Seattle and the Detroit Institute of Arts.  She also appeared as concerto soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and Music Director Alondra de la Parra at New York’s Town Hall.  She was the web-host for the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano competition, becoming the on-line face of the Cliburn to introduce all the performances and conduct interviews throughout the 17-day event.

In 2007-08 Ms. Simmons presented The Rhythm Project at Symphony Space’s Thalia Theatre as part of the CAG/New Works Series and at the Gatehouse at Harlem Stage in a program specifically designed for students.  Additional highlights included appearances at Ravinia’s Rising Stars Series and the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, residencies with the Cliburn Foundation, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (NY) and Oakwood College (AL), as well as a concerto engagement at Chicago’s Symphony Hall with the Chicago Sinfonietta performing Tania León’s Kabiosile.  Other recent engagements include her debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing the Corigliano Piano Concerto and recitals at Symphony Space and Aaron Davis Hall.

Ms. Simmons is passionate advocate for the arts in education and created Mozart on the Move, a program used with great success in the Houston public schools.  In spring 2007, she continued her educational activities under the auspices of the Van Cliburn Foundation’s “Musical Awakenings” series, visiting twenty schools throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area in a program entitled Virtuosity.  An artist with a social conscience that moves her to action, she serves as an advocate for America’s youth, addressing groups across the country on sensitive issues such as suicide prevention and youth violence.  She is the founder of the national school program Where Do You Stand?! – a series of interactive presentations on topics from culture to the political climate which has led to numerous appearances on radio and television.

Ms. Simmons is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. As an undergraduate at Northwestern University, she co-founded the immensely popular percussion and dance ensemble Boomshaka!  She was Miss Illinois and first runner up at the 2000 Miss America Pageant where she performed Chopin’s Etude in c-sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4, before a live television audience of millions. Ms. Simmons holds a Master’s degree from Rice University, where she studied with Jon Kimura Parker, and has also studied at the Foundation Bell’ Arte in Brussels. She designs her own concert attire and plans to expand these successful fashion efforts into an extended commercial line called Zhedya (Jade in Russian).