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The University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be joined by pianist Jade Simmons on Saturday, December 5 at 8 pm in Mandel Hall to perform Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43. The concert will also feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 “Eroica” and Jennifer Higdon’s SkyLine from City Scape. Barbara Schubert, Director of Performance Programs, conducts.
On the roster of the prestigious Concert Artist Guild organization, Simmons was recently named as the first ever New Music, New Places Fellow. Beginning her piano studies at the age of eight, Simmons was also drawn to percussion instruments and to dance. As an undergraduate at Northwestern University, she was a drum major and the co-founder of Boomshaka!, a percussion and dance ensemble. She received a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from Rice University. The Yamaha Artist was most recently asked to host the first online broadcast of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Recognized for her musical creativity and her exciting stage presence, Simmons recently performed as concerto soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas at New York’s Town Hall, as well as in recitals at National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., the University of Washington World Series in Seattle, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Simmons’ first recording, Revolutionary Rhythm, was released by E1 Records (formerly Koch Records) in March 2009.
A passionate advocate for arts education and youth empowerment, Simmons created a program for the Houston Public Schools entitled Mozart on the Move, an arts education endeavor created to expose children to the arts. She also founded The Impulse Artist Series in Houston, which provides performance opportunities to other emerging pianists. 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 led to numerous appearances on radio and television. As a result of these endeavors, Simmons was featured as one of Ebony Magazine’s Young Leaders under 30 in January 2007.
Stretching beyond the traditional definitions of a classical musician, Jade Simmons claims success in all of her non-musical areas of interest, including acting as a spokesperson for youth suicide prevention, winning Miss Illinois, and placing first runner-up in the Miss America pageant. She writes articles on the arts and designs her own concert wear, which she plans to expand into a commercial line called Zhedya (Jade in Russian).
Simmons will perform Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the University Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, December 5. Critics believe that Rachmaninoff honors Beethoven’s Eroica in the 18th Variation where he situates the variation before the theme, just as Beethoven did in the finale of Eroica.
Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, written primarily between 1903 and 1904, was originally dedicated to then first-consul Napoleon Bonaparte. Upon discovering that Bonaparte had declared himself Emperor, Beethoven flew into a rage and ripped the title page off the composition. He renamed the piece “Sinfonia Eroica.” The symphony is considered to be one of the works on the boundary between the Classical era and the Romantic era.
The final piece on the program, SkyLine, is one movement from an orchestral soundscape City Scape by composer Jennifer Higdon. Higdon’s composition depicts the landscape of Atlanta’s skyline through orchestral tones that create the sensation of experiencing that particular acoustic environment.
Admission for the University Symphony Orchestra concert is free, with donations requested at the door. For more information, visit the website or call the Event Hotline.
Jade Simmons’ weeklong residency is co-sponsored by University Symphony Orchestra, Department of Music, and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture.
Quick Facts
What: University Symphony Orchestra. Barbara Schubert, conductor.
When: Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8 pm
Where: Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street, University of Chicago campus
Program:
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 “Eroica”
Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 with guest soloist Jade Simmons
Jennifer Higdon’s SkyLine from City Scape
Admission:
Free with suggested donation
Reception to follow
Event Hotline: 773.702.8069 / music.uchicago.edu/.
Persons with a disability who may need assistance should call 773.702.8484 in advance of the event.
Positioned at the heart of a world-renowned academic institution, the Department of Music offers degrees in fields of musical scholarship and composition and sponsors a lively and diverse performance program that involves 14 performance ensembles in over 100 concerts a year. Five ensembles-in-residence and numerous professional concerts offered by The University of Chicago Presents further enhance the vibrant musical life on campus.
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rashida[.]uchicago.edu 
