2020-10-14

Marlysse Simmons

Marlysse Simmons (Richmond, Virginia) 

Marlysse Rose Simmons-Argandoña is a first-generation Chilean-American pianist, composer and educator based in Richmond, Virginia. She is the band leader, arranger and pianist for the globally renowned indie-salsa band Bio Ritmo and the bolero-inspired project Miramar. With her projects she has toured North America, Europe, Russia, and Georgia. She is a recipient of the Mid-Atlantic Touring Arts grant, recorded for Brooklyn’s Daptone, Barbès, and Spain’s Vampisoul Records. She studied composition under Grammy Award-winning artist Arturo O’Farrill and has traveled the world to make independent studies of various musical traditions including Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Puerto Rico and country of Georgia. Simmons also works as a commissioned arranger, educator and lecturer.

Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 10/14/2020.

Tamar Sella

Music; United States; Covid-19 Pandemic

Richmond, Virginia

Musicians in America during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Society for Ethnomusicology