Maverick Concert Pianist Jade Simmons' Boundary Pushing Lands her at SXSW 2014

HOUSTON - Jan. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- In a rare occurrence, a classical pianist (Jade Simmons) has been invited to play the storied South By Southwest festival in Austin, TX, March 11-16th, 2014. Usually home to the hottest up and coming bands and often the biggest names in Rock, Alternative, Folk, Hip Hop, Rap, Electronic Dance Music, Jazz and more, Jade will be bringing her unique brand of jaw-dropping virtuosity and eclectic programming to the 2014 festivities. Known for expanding the boundaries of Classical music presentation, Simmons' career has been a musically colorful one encompassing completely classical recitals in renowned venues including the White House and the Supreme Court, concerto performances with orchestra, Contemporary Classical and modern music concerts with electronics in hip alternative spaces and most recently, unexpected mashups spanning Rachmaninoff all the way to rap. She's also noted for the diversity of her audiences.

At SXSW 2014, Jade's one-woman set will include the likes of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, an improvisation accompanied by recorded African drumming as well as rap. She'll even cover EDM master Moby and the hot UK-based duo The XX using loop pedals and the innards of the piano. Original music from her latest release Playing with Fire and from her concert production The Paganini Project will be featured alongside beats created for her by producer Roburt Reynolds. She'll also debut material from her new one-woman show Romejii.  In a new stage set up for Jade, she'll be controlling her own live electronics from the stage by way of Korg's dynamic Volca Series. A Yamaha artist, Jade will perform on a Yamaha acoustic grand piano.

Details including exact date and time of Jade's official SXSW showcases and supplementary events in Austin will be revealed on Jademedia.org after February 1, 2014.

In addition to performing and recording, Simmons is a sought after speaker, has served as webcast host for both the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the legendary Tchaikovsky Music Competition, she also writes for the Huffington Post. While at Northwestern University, she became Miss Chicago, Miss Illinois and ultimately first runner-up at Miss America. Based in Houston, Texas, she's been named Houston's Best Arts Ambassador (Houston Press) and was featured on Essence Magazine's first-ever Style and Substance List alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and Gold Medal Gymnast Gabby Douglas. To learn more about Jade Simmons, visit http://jademedia.org/