Comment on Jade Simmons: 'Jade is a personal friend of mine, is multitalented to the Nth degree.'

[Jade Simmons]

On Oct. 27, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “Jade Media: 'The Making of Jade's CD: Insider Access' via 'StalkingSuperwoman.com' Oct. 29-30.” One of our subscribers, also a recent correspondent, is Izola Collins. She writes:

“Thanks once more for these. Jade is a personal friend of mine, is multitalented to the Nth degree. I am waiting to see her go up in vast media because she has done so much for others while rising, herself. Izola Collins”

Jade Media: 'The Making of Jade's CD: Insider Access' via 'StalkingSuperwoman.com' Oct. 29-30

[Jade Simmons]

Insider Access?

Granted!

NOLA here we come.

Jade's taking you behind the scenes for the entire process of the making of her next CD with Entertainment One (eOne). It's all happening now on StalkingSuperwoman.com. See candid video showing rehearsals, practice sessions, road trips, photo shoot site scouting and more. Look at great pictures highlighting the eclectic city of New Orleans.

Then tune in this weekend (Oct.29-30) to watch LIVE footage from the recording sessions and the CD cover photo shoot.

Don't Forget!

Follow Jade on Twitter @jadesimmons and get tweets from the session and throughout the process. Keep your eyes peeled for the #PaganiniProject hash tag to know when new uploads are available on Stalking Superwoman.

PRLog.Org: 'Pianist Jade Simmons joins in Musical Black History Month Celebration' Feb. 6

[Pianist Jade Simmons]

Pianist Jade Simmons will perform solo pieces, a jazz-inspired duet and riveting songs with soprano Tara Nova in the Salute to Black History Month, a musical celebration organized in part by the Long Island Composers Association

“PRLog (Press Release) – Jan 24, 2011 – On Sunday, February 6th, pianist Jade Simmons will join Long Island Composer Association director Paul Hefner and a group of renowned musicians, including soprano Tara Nova, for an exciting and eclectic musical celebration of Black History month. According to Sergio Mims of Ebony/Jet Magazine, 'Among the new generation of classical music artists, few are making the huge impact and receiving the kind of acclaim that pianist Jade Simmons has been of late.' Simmons will put her talents to work in solo pieces by the late African-American composer Hale Smith, whose wife will be in attendance. Jade will join pianist and LICA member Paul Hefner in a jazz inspired piano duet and will accompany Ms. Nova in a selection of songs. The program includes pieces by members of the Long Island Composer Association. Last year's Salute garnered a lengthy feature article in The New York Times.

“A frequent performer in New York, Simmons has performed twice on the innovative Look and Listen Festival, at Symphony Space, at Harlem Stage, in Merkin and Town Halls, and in alternative spaces like Brooklyn's BamCafé, Le Poisson Rouge and Joe's Pub. She has collaborated with the likes of renowned pianist Ursula Oppens, Alondra de la Parra and her Philharmonic of the Americas and esteemed chamber ensemble An Die Musik. On Long Island, she has played with the North Shore Symphony. Jade brings a decisive flair to Contemporary Classical music and her interpretations have been hailed by living composers such as John Corigliano and Guggenheim Award-winning Composer Tania León who says of Jade, '... one could not ask for more, a performer who takes the written score to heart and makes it her own.'

The Salute to Black History Month concert takes place on Sunday, February 6, 2011, 2PM at South Nassau Universalist Unitarian Church, 228 South Ocean Avenue, Freeport, NY 11520. LICA composers and artists featured include Paul Hefner, Jay Anthony Gach, Hale Smith, Tara Nova, Herbert A. Deutsch, Herb Rothgarber, Rob Schwimmer, Larry Dresner and Henry Martin. For more information on the concert: email the Long Island Composers Association at info@licamusic.org or call them at 516-799-8815. For more information on Jade Simmons, please visit http://www.jademedia.org For more information on LICA, please visit http://www.licamusic.org [Hale Smith (1925-2009) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a complete Works List compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma.]

Jade Simmons on Piano in Ritz Chamber Players Debut Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Jade Simmons - Piano
Ritz Chamber Players Debut
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Jacoby Symphony Hall
Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts
Jacksonville, Florida
7:30 p.m.

http://www.ritzchamberplayers.org

'Electrifying Pianist Jade Simmons Joins acclaimed Ritz Chamber Players for Musical MLK Celebration' Jan. 19

[Revolutionary Rhythm; Jade Simmons, Piano; Russell Pinkston, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, & Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composers; E1 Entertainment KIC CD 7760 (2009)]

Pianist Jade Simmons

“PRLog (Press Release) – Jan 12, 2011 – According to Sergio Mims of Ebony/Jet Magazine, 'Among the new generation of classical music artists, few are making the huge impact and receiving the kind of acclaim that pianist Jade Simmons has been of late.' Much of the same can be said of the Jacksonville-based Ritz Chamber Players. On Wednesday, January 19th, 2011, after years of mismatched schedules, Ms. Simmons and the Ritz are finally joining forces for what promises to be a scintillating evening on their annual In Remembrance of the Dream Concert in honor of the memory of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Displaying her trademark versatility, Jade Simmons will join the Ritz Chamber Players quartet for a performance of the potent and playful Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G Minor as well as music by Prokofiev followed by an even more intimate collaboration on the second half with Pavarotti Competition winner, soprano Alison Buchanan. No stranger to Russian music, last season Ms. Simmons toured a program called Russian Ruminations featuring works by Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Scriabin. In museums and art galleries across the country she lectured and performed as a part of a program she created called Scriabin and Kandinsky: Hearing Color, Seeing Sound which pairs the music of Alexander Scriabin with the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky, on loan to her from the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Also an avid advocate of American music, Simmons made her debut with a critically acclaimed release on E1 Records called Revolutionary Rhythm which is an eclectic collection of American works for piano featuring Russell Pinkston, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano and Daniel Bernard Roumain and including works for piano with electronics. The second half of the program with Alison Buchanan will highlight American songs by the African-American composers Adolphus Hailstork and arrangements by Roland Carter, Lena McLin and others, including renditions of popular spirituals.

As a part of The Ritz Chamber Players Mainstage Concert Series the In Remembrance of the Dream Concert takes place Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in Jacoby Symphony Hall/Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. Single tickets are $25.00 with a reduced rate for Seniors, Military & Teachers of $20.00. Student rush tickets are $10.00. For ticket information, call: (904) 354-5547 or toll free at (877) 662-6731.

Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts is located at 300 West Water Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202. For more information on Jade Simmons, please visit http://www.jademedia.org For more information on The Ritz Chamber Players, please visit http://www.ritzchamberplayers.org

ClarionLedger.com on Jade Simmons: 'Concert pianist, classical beauty: A moving combination'

[Revolutionary Rhythm; Jade Simmons, Piano; Russell Pinkston, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, & Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composers; E1 Entertainment KIC CD 7760 (2009)]

ClarionLedger.com

Sherry Lucas

April 4, 2010

“Concert pianist Jade Simmons' residency in Jackson next week takes her all over the city as well as all over the keyboard. Events bounce from the University Club to Tougaloo College with the Mississippi Museum of Art and a pair of public elementary schools in-between. Simmons wishes all her appearances were so jam-packed, making the best use of her time and her passions - youth, art and fashion as well as music. 'It's definitely a fun engagement for me,' she said by phone from Houston, Texas.

“Appearances are normally more tame - a word that doesn't quite fit the trajectory of this rising young star and entrepreneur. She was named one of Ebony Magazine's 'Young Leaders Under 30' in 2007 and was the Web-host for the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition through the event's 17 days. As the online face for the competition, Simmons impressed anew Jackson mezzo soprano Lester Senter Wilson, a Mississippi Symphony Orchestra board member. Wilson first encountered Simmons years before at her own Wideman Piano Competition. Struck by Simmons' stylish presence, savvy skills, music knowledge and interest in kids - 'I thought, this is what we need in Jackson,' said Wilson, a co-producer with Tim Coker of the artist's residency, which is sponsored by Isaac Byrd. 'It's a remarkable opportunity for Jackson and specifically for students,' Byrd said.

“A former Miss Illinois, Simmons was first runner-up at the 2000 Miss America Pageant. Her platform of youth suicide prevention became a hot-button issue with the Columbine massacre. At 22, she traveled the nation speaking on that platform and today at 32, serves on the boards of organizations that deal with the issue. Working on behalf of youth remains a key part of her life.”

EbonyJet.com: 'Sergio Mims Interviews Classical Pianist Jade Simmons'

[TOP: Revolutionary Rhythm; Jade Simmons, Piano; Russell Pinkston, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, & Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composers; E1 Entertainment KIC CD 7760 (2009) BOTTOM: Photo of Jade Simmons from EbonyJet.com]

Jade Simmons has been the subject of several previous AfriClassical posts about her CD and concerts. Her website is http://www.jademedia.org Our friend Sergio Mims is a classical music host at the radio station WHPK-FM in Chicago. He recently interviewed her:

EbonyJet.com
Arts and Culture
Classically Modern
Sergio Mims Interviews Classical Pianist Jade Simmons
31 décembre 2009
by Sergio Mims
“Among the new generation of classical music artists, few are making the huge impact and receiving the kind of acclaim that pianist Jade Simmons has been of late. The Charleston, South Carolina native/Northwestern University Graduate/Rice University Shephard School of Music graduate/former Miss Illinois and First Runner Up at the 2000 Miss America Pageant has been gaining well-deserved notices and standing ovations from audiences for her extraordinary talent and her eclectic mix of music genres all of which are on full display in her new Koch International CD release 'Revolutionary Rhythms.' The album is a reflection of her varied influences from classical modern composers such as Samuel Barber and John Corigliano to pieces such as 'Hip-Hop Etudes' by composer DBR.

''Recently Ebonyjet.com had an opportunity to talk to Ms Simmons (who was also featured in 2007 as one of Ebony Magazine’s 'Young Leaders Under 30') when she was recently Artist-in-Residence at the University of Chicago for a concert performance and a series of lectures.

“EBONY: Let’s begin with a question involving me if you don’t mind. My editor was trying to get me to write this piece about being a classical music lover in the age of hip-hop, but I refused because it sounded to me, probably wrongly I’m sure, like saying: 'Write something about how it feels to be a freak.' So how would you answer that question?
SIMMONS: I’ve never felt like a freak. It was never this big delineation between, say classical and hip hop. It was just another form that I love. Hip-hop I dance to. Classical, some of it I do dance to (laughs). Even a piece like Rachmaninov’s 'Rhapsody on a Theme' by Paganini, some parts when I play it I have to back off a bit because I’m grooving way too long on it (laughs).”

Jade Simmons is Webcast Host for 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

[Revolutionary Rhythm; Jade Simmons, Piano; Russell Pinkston, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, & Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composers; E1 Entertainment KIC CD 7760 (2009)]

AfriClassical presents excerpts from a press release from Jade Media:

“Jade Simmons as Eloquent, Fashionable Face of the Cliburn

Houston-based pianist Jade Simmons set to serve as first ever webcast host for the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Broadcast live on http://www.cliburn.tv, viewers will see Jade along with occasional co-host Steve Cumming (radio broadcaster and the announcer for the competition) conduct live interviews and introduce all concerts and special features. The Cliburn specifically stated they did not want a "stuffy" production and invited Jade to bring her personality, humor and sense of style to work with her. As a performer she is known for her electrifying stage presence as well as her eloquent and often humorous concert commentary in addition to her stylish wardrobe.

“For the duration of the competition, on the Jade Simmons' NewMuseic YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/newmuseic) she will also run her own daily blog called Keeping up with the Kliburn (a play on the title of popular E! reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians) and invites people to rate her ever-changing webcast wardrobe in a special video blog feature called Did Jade Make the Grade?” “Most recently, Jade made her recording debut on the E1 Music label (formerly KOCH Records) with Revolutionary Rhythm, an eclectic collection of Contemporary and Modern American piano music including Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, Austin-based electronic music composer Russell Pinkston, and Haitian-American violinist/composer Daniel Bernard Roumain AKA DBR.” “For more info on Jade Simmons please visit:  http://www.jademedia.org"

Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas Honors Tania León in Concert March 8

Latin American Herald Tribune

Orchestra Pays Tribute to Cuban-American Composer

By Victor Martin

"NEW YORK – The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas is paying tribute this week in New York to several outstanding U.S. composers, including Cuban-born Tania Leon. 'I’m very happy,' she told Efe during an interview. Leon’s musical talent, as well as her educational work, has been recognized both within and outside the United States. The POA, founded five years ago by Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra and comprised of young soloists from New York, has prepared a concert with works composed by women which it will give on the March 8 observance of International Woman’s Day.

"Leon, who has taught at Harvard and Yale and in the 1990s was advisor to New York Philharmonic director Kurt Masur, is the composer of 'Kabiosile,' a vibrant, energy-laden piece included in the program and which shows the influence of Cuban rhythms. She said that she was 'very happy' to see that new orchestras were springing up with broad participation by talented young people willing to invest a lot of time and effort in the interpretation of works and 'who show great mental breadth' in their ways of perceiving society. The celebrated musician participated on Tuesday in a presentation ceremony for the concert held at the Society of the Americas in New York. Also on hand at the event was Jade Simmons, who performs the piano portion of 'Kabiosile.'

"Both Simmons and De la Parra, the POA’s artistic director, made very clear their admiration for the work of Leon, an ex-student of Leonard Bernstein, and they emphasized the challenge 'Kabiosile' poses for a pianist or a conductor. De la Parra also recalled that Leon was the co-founder of the American Composers Orchestra Sonidos de las Americas Festivals, and she was the inspiration for her to create her own orchestra and dedicate herself to spreading the music of composers from the Americas. The Mexican conductor said in an interview with Efe that this is the first occasion on which the POA is offering a program where all the pieces are composed by women, although she added that that did not mean there was any underlying demand regarding the presence of women in classical music."  [Full Post] [Tania Justina León (b. 1943) is profiled at AfriClassical.com Her website is: http://www.TaniaLeon.com/]

The Washington Informer: 'Pianist Jade Simmons Addresses Social Issues'

By Edith Billups – WI Contributing Writer

Wednesday, 18 February 2009 13:15

“Success, for pianist Jade Simmons, once meant being on the biggest concert tours and performing on the largest stages. But for the Houston native, her goal has changed because of work with issues around teenage suicide.” “A former Miss Illinois who admits to being an overachiever as a child, Simmons will perform in a free program on Feb. 22 at the National Academy of Science in Northwest in D.C. The 3 p.m. Program will be in the auditorium, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.” “But for the musician who regularly lectures on teen suicide, Simmons said the topic of teen suicide prevention is one that is worthy of receiving attention. 'It is the third cause of death among young teens,' said Simmons who adopted the issue as her platform when serving as Miss Illinois.”

“Neither of Simmons' parents were professional musicians, but she played the clarinet and viola in school, with an affinity for percussion music. According to the pianist, that love carried over into college where she was a drum major in the band and where she formed a popular percussion and dance ensemble, Boomshaka. Guided by Kimura, she found a niche as an artist by combining her love for percussion and piano. The result is a style that calls for a repertoire of music by composers who moved rhythm to the forefront, as opposed to melody, said Simmons. 'For example, I am playing two pieces by an African Cuban composer named Tania Leon,' Simmons said. '”Rituak” and “Tumbao” are both very rhythmic works.' Alsp on the program are Samuel Barber's 'Sonata for Piano,' and Gershwin's 'Three Preludes'”  [Tania Leon (b. 1943) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Pianist Jade Simmons Plays DBR at Detroit Institute of Arts Friday, Feb. 20

Pianist Jade Simmons will perform two works of Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) in consecutive performances in Detroit on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009:

MySpace.com

02-20-2009 7:00 PM at the Detroit Institute of Arts: Friday Night Live!

5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48202

Cost: Free w/museum admission

2 back-to-back performances (7pm and 8:30) featuring two unique programs including performances of DBR’s Hip Hop Studies and Etudes with electronic beats.

JadeMedia.org

“A native of Charleston, South Carolina and a graduate of Rice University’s prestigious Shepherd School of Music, she received her Master of Piano Performance degree as a Provost Fellow under the tutelage of concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker. In 2001, she completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University studying with Dr. Sylvia Wang. Also while at Northwestern, she was a co-founder of the popular percussion and dance ensemble Boomshaka! and integrates percussion into her current performance activities. Jade has performed in the master classes of piano greats such as Menahem Pressler, Anton Kuerti, Andre LaPlante, Nelson Delle Vigne, Jerome Lowenthal and Phillipe Entremont. Currently, she studies privately with Dr. Robert Roux, chair of the piano department at Rice University.” 

NewsLeader.com: 'CenterStage concert to feature pianist Jade Simmons' in Staunton, Virginia

NewsLeader.com

CenterStage concert to feature pianist Jade Simmons

Staff Reports • November 19, 2008 

CenterStage! will present the Nutt Family Memorial Concert starring pianist Jade Simmons at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton. Trained at Rice University and Foundation Bell’Arte in Brussels, Belgium, Simmons has performed extensively across Europe and United States, with numerous radio and television performances on NPR and PBS, respectively.

A native of Charleston, S.C. Simmons attended Northwestern University, where she co-founded the immensely popular percussion and dance ensemble Boomshaka. Jade 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. In 2007-08, Simmons appeared at Ravinia’s “Rising Stars” series in residencies at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in New York and at Chicago’s Symphony Hall for a concerto engagement with the Chicago Sinfonietta, performing Tania Leon’s Kabiosile. Recent engagements include her debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, performing the Corigliano Piano Concerto under the baton of Leslie Dunner and recitals at Symphony Space and Aaron Davis Hall. Her 2005 performance with renowned pianist, Ursula Oppens, of duo piano works by Tania Leon, was listed as one of the “Year’s Best Concerts” by Artforum magazine. 

The Staunton concert will include music crossing the centuries, including Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and into the more recent Corigliano and Leon works. As a New Music/New Places fellow, Simmons is passionate about the role of the arts in education and created Mozart on the Move, a program that was used with great success in the Houston public school system. In spring 2007, she continued her educational activities under the auspices of the Van Cliburn Foundation’s Musical Awakenings series, visiting 25 schools throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area in a program entitled Virtuosity. An artist with a social conscience that moves her to action, Simmons serves as an advocate for American 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 politics.  For more information, call 885-4460 or visit http://www.centerstagestaunton.com.  [The Afro-Cuban composer and conductor Tania Justina León (b. 1943) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]