Innovative Pianist Jade Simmons aims to move from the Concert Stage to the Small Screen

Classical Pianist & Former First Runner-up to Miss America vies for chance to compete for her own show on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network. Oprah & Mark Burnett (creator of Survivor) are looking for the next big tv star and Jade just might be it!
By: Jade Media
 
May 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Right before she became Miss Chicago, Miss Illinois and eventually 1st Runner-up at the 2000 Miss America Pageant, Jade Simmons made time to co-found Northwestern University's ever-popular percussion and dance ensemble Boomshaka. Since her impressive showing in Atlantic City, she hasn't had time to win any more crowns because she's been busy making a name for herself as one of the nation's most innovative concert artists in the field of Classical music. Touted in Symphony Magazine two years in a row for being one of the leading artists making an impact on and away from the stage and named to Ebony Magazine's 2007 list of 30 Young Leaders under 30, Jade Simmons now looks to expand her efforts exponentially via television with the help of none other than Oprah Winfrey.

The Houston-based pianist is competing for the chance to have her own television show on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) set to debut in 2011. Teaming up with Mark Burnett, creator of the hit reality series Survivor, Oprah has created Your OWN Show in search of the "next big tv star". And Simmons happens to believe she's that person.  If this budding media mogul gets her way, she'll have a TALK/VARIETY/LIVE PERFORMANCE format that features the creativity of current household names alongside the hottest up-and-coming talents in music with an unprecedented mainstream emphasis on the performing arts.  It's a show where she'll make artistic dreams come true while simultaneously tapping into the magic of established artists who are already living their dreams.

No stranger to championing emerging artists, Simmons is the Founder of The Impulse Artist Series (Best Non-Profit Arts Series 2009, Houston Press) which annually provides performance opportunities and career building assistance to 4 deserving international concert artists and she produces a weekly video series on YouTube called Emerge Already: Tips to Lessen the Plight of the Aspiring Concert Artist. She also tweets and blogs on the same subject.

As she preps for competition, Jade will call on her intense on-air experience as the Van Cliburn Piano Competition's first-ever webcast host. For seven hours a day for almost 3 weeks straight, she commentated on performances, introduced segments and interviewed leading figures including veteran journalist Bob Schieffer and Van Cliburn himself for the world-famous competition. Jade expects that coupling that training with years of experience as a concert artist, a public speaker/spokesperson and the pressure cooker experience of the Miss America Pageant should put her in a place to be highly competitive on the show.

As an African-American, female Classical pianist who performs repertoire from the classics to the cutting-edge, Simmons is used to smashing stereotypes, mixing things up and wowing audiences. She looks to bring that same spirit to television should she win the coveted prize on Your OWN Show.

How You Can Help? Join Jade's OWN Team!
Jade is looking to the city of Houston and the rest of the nation to help her garner enough votes to put her audition video in one of the top 5 spots on the OWN website. This guarantees her a trip to the finals to vie for a spot on the reality show set to tape in the Fall. No stranger to competition, Simmons will also be auditioning in person in June in Dallas. There are no limits on how many times one can vote so Jade invites Houstonians to vote early and often at:

http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=add_vi...

For more info on Jade Simmons please visit:
www.jademedia.org

# # #

Jade Media is the umbrella organization for the artistic endeavors and projects of pianist Jade Simmons.
End
Trending
Most Viewed
Daily News



Like PRLog?
9K2K1K
Click to Share