Nicknamed "Classical Music's No. 1 Maverick," Jade Simmons is the host of the Decomposed podcast. She also is a concert artist, bestselling author and a passionate storyteller with a strong understanding of classical music's roots. Find out more at jadesimmons.com.

The latest episode of our new podcast Decomposed, about George Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess,' hit close to home for host Jade Simmons. She grew up in Charleston, S.C., the site of the opera's Catfish Row. She reflects on the city and its conflicted past.


Conflict on Catfish Row: The curious case of post-Gershwin Charleston

I spent my entire early career making classical music more accessible, making the presentation more engaging and exploratory for my audiences. And yet, here I was chastising my family over their lack of musical knowledge.


Jade Simmons: The day Beethoven helped me discover I was a closet elitist

Clara Schumann was considered to be the "one and only" of her kind back in her day. Jade Simmons, host of our new podcast Decomposed, writes of how this mentality still permeates classical music today and how that can change.


Jade Simmons on a dirty, little secret: the 'one and only'

Richard and Pauline Strauss would have made good TV, even today. Jade Simmons, host of our new podcast Decomposed, writes of the complicated relationship between the couple and how we tell the stories of women in classical music history.


How 'bout them Strausses: A look into the tumultuous relationship of Richard and Pauline

Nicknamed "Classical Music's No. 1 Maverick," Jade Simmons is the host of the Decomposed podcast. She also is a concert artist, bestselling author and a passionate storyteller with a strong understanding of classical music's roots. Find out more at jadesimmons.com.


Jade Simmons

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