# Carlos Simon, GRAMMY-Nominated Composer, Curator and Activist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist.md
Podcast: [Arts Unscripted with Monica Holt](https://stenobird.com/podcast/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725)
Published: 2026-03-26T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://capacityinteractive.libsyn.com/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/capacityinteractive/CI_to_Eye_Mar_26_2026_vF2.mp3?dest-id=730204
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725/episodes/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist
Duration seconds: 2257

## Resource

Music has the power to move a room. For composer Carlos Simon, that effect was first felt in church, where music was both a creative act and a shared experience. Raised in a family steeped in ministry and musical tradition, Carlos grew up surrounded by gospel, jazz, and the spontaneity of worship. From playing organ by ear during Sunday services to his later work with orchestras, film, and opera, he has built a compositional voice that blurs boundaries: bridging sacred and secular, improvisation and form, tradition and innovation. In this episode, Carlos traces his path to becoming one of today's most sought-after composers and the first-ever Composer Chair for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Along the way, he offers insight into the deeply collaborative nature of his work and frames musical composition as an act of service. ----- LINKS: Carlos Simon: https://www.carlossimonmusic.com/ brea(d)th: https://www.carlossimonmusic.com/album/brea-d-th Monuments: A Suite for DC: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/festivals-series/250-years-of-us/sounds-of-us/monuments/ The Blacknificent 7: https://www.instagram.com/blacknificentseven/

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725/episodes/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/arts-unscripted-with-monica-holt-222725/carlos-simon-grammy-nominated-composer-curator-and-activist.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.