Concert pianist Jade Simmons will bring an intimate version of her yet to be revealed one-woman show -Romejii (Ro-MEE-jee) to SubCulture on Friday, Feb. 27th, 2015 at 8pm. True to her habit of presenting concert adventures, The -Romejii Sessions is a unique music and storytelling experience that spans Rachmaninoff to Rap tied together with engaging, powerful and often hilarious stories about Jade’s life and career as an anomoly in her field. It’s a riveting story of creative identity breakthrough with musical performances that piece together her evolution into “Classical Music’s No. 1 Maverick”, a moniker given to her by music journalist & Juilliard professor Greg Sandow.
Highlights of the show include Classical warhorses like Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu and pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff as well as original music by Simmons for piano and electronics, improvisations alongside recorded African drumming and the instant audience favorite, “Black Beethoven”, a rap written by Jade that she performs while playing the piano and creating live electronic beats on stage.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Doors open at 7, the show is at 8pm. Seating at SubCulture is limited, advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended. They can be bought here: http://secure.subculturenewyork.com/event/Jade-Simmons
About Jade:
How do you get to be named “Classical Music’s No.1 Maverick” ? By repeatedly defying expectations, delivering riveting performances and combining passion and innovation at every turn. Called a “musical force of nature”, Jade Simmons is easily one of the most exciting and versatile artists on the scene today. For her work on and away from the stage, Essence magazine featured Jade alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas as a part of their Style & Substance List which highlights women who have expanded the definition of beauty and achievement. Additionally, she has been recognized two years in a row by Symphony Magazine, listed as one of Ebony magazine’s Top 30 Leaders under 30 (2008) and named Houston’s Best Arts Ambassador by the Houston Press. Last Spring, she made waves as one of the rare classical artists invited to perform at the taste making South by Southwest Festival where her show was ultimately branded one of the “Best of SXSW 2014”. For the highly anticipated documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, about the legendary musician and activist Nina Simone, Jade was called on to provide selections by Chopin, Debussy and Bach for the footage highlighting Simone’s early Classical beginnings. Jade’s committment to expanding the boundaries of Classical music and its presentation began as the inaugural New Music/New Places Fellow for the prestigious Concert Artist Guild organization. Today, she offers an incredibly diverse mix of repertoire from the Classics to the cutting edge and audiences have come to expect creative projects backed by riveting performances. Learn more at http://jademedia.org/
About ComposersNow:
The Composers Now Festival celebrates living coers, the diversity of their voices and the significance of their musical contributions to our society. During the month of February, the Festival brings together dozens of performances presented by venues, ensembles, orchestras, opera companies, dance companies and many other innovative events throughout New York City. Experience the sounds and get to know the creators behind the music. From jazz to indie, from classical to electronic and beyond, join us on a sonic journey through the landscape of the arts of our time. Composers will be in attendance at all events and will be interacting with audiees. Composers Now is a project partner of The Fund for the City of New York. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ASCAP Foundation, the BMI Foundation, the Cheswatyr Foundation and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Learn more at: http://www.composersnow.org/cn/