CI to Eye with Monica Holt Carlos Simon, GRAMMY-Nominated Composer, Curator and Activist
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Mar 26, 2026 Carlos Simon, GRAMMY-nominated composer and activist who serves as Composer-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center, traces music from church roots to concert halls. He talks about blending improvisation and classical form. He describes scoring for film, opera, and civic projects, building collaborative ensembles like the Blacknificent Seven, and composing as an act of service and social reflection.
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Breath Created From Community Visits And A Call To Action
- Breath, Carlos's collaboration with Mark Pamuthi Joseph, was created after George Floyd's murder and involved visiting Minnesota and talking with communities.
- They embedded a call for systemic anti-racism, using text and music to demand action beyond reflection.
Turn Research Into Improvisation Then Edit Rigorously
- For commissions, Carlos researches deeply then improvises at the piano, records stream-of-consciousness ideas, then edits analytically into structure and orchestration.
- He balances left-brain editing with right-brain improvisation to turn concept research into finished music.
Genre Hopping As Tailoring For Storytelling
- Cross-genre and cross-media work lets Carlos tailor storytelling tools to each project, using the most effective musical language for the narrative.
- He compares composing for collaborators to tailoring a garment to fit the performer and occasion.