Carlos Simón

African American composer Carlos Simon's music reflects social justice concerns and has been widely performed by top orchestras around the U.S. In 2021, he became the composer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Simon was born in Washington, D.C., in 1986 but grew up in Atlanta. His father was a Pentecostal preacher, and he was not allowed to listen to any music other than gospel. Simon has pointed to the influence of gospel on his concert works, which balance notated and improvisatory elements. He took up the piano at age ten, playing at his father's churc...