“Festive Fanfare and Overture”
Carlos Simon (b. 1986)

[2024]

Growing up in Georgia as the son of a Pentecostal preacher, Carlos Simon absorbed the Black church music and spiritual lessons that still underpin his compositions. He went on to study at Georgia State University, Morehouse College, and the University of Michigan; career highlights have included a tenure as Composer in Residence at the Kennedy Center and commissions from major orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).

As the BSO’s Composer Chair, Simon created this “Festive Fanfare and Overture” in honor of Music Director Andris Nelsons. Carnegie Hall joined in to co-commission the work for the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, conducted by Simon’s frequent collaborator at the National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda. Citing Nelsons’ history as a champion of Shostakovich, Simon designed his introductory brass fanfare to reflect the Soviet composer’s style. The overture itself, he writes, “moves gallantly with rhythmic syncopation across the various orchestral families before coming to a triumphant close.”

Piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings