FREE! Discussion: How Nina Simone Changed the World
Details
Free discussion and Q&A that is part of a 3-evening event called "Nina Simone, Beyond Category", which also includes a 2-evening concert Jan. 26 & 27 (each evening is posted as a separate event.
Date: Jan 23 at 7pm PST
Venue: USC Newman Recital Hall
3616 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Free, but you must RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-nina-simone-changed-the-world-registration-1977943742980
How Nina Simone Changed the World
A Q&A with Pulitzer Prize–Winning Writer and Critic Salamishah Tillet and Jason King, Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music
Discussion and Q&A. Part of "Nina Simone Beyond Category", How Nina Simone Changed the World brings Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and critic Salamishah Tillet to the University of Southern California for a special conversation in anticipation of the 2027 publication of her forthcoming work, All the Rage: Nina Simone and the World She Made.
In this thought-provoking conversation event with Jason King, Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, Tillet explores Simone’s enduring legacy as a cultural force and freedom fighter. Presented as part of Thornton’s Nina Simone: Beyond Category series, the evening invites audiences to consider Simone not just as an artist, but as a cultural innovator who, years after her passing, continues to reshape the landscape of possibility.
Nina Simone: Beyond Category is an event series presented by USC’s Thornton School of Music as part of its now annual Beyond Category Series. This groundbreaking program examines Nina Simone’s singular artistic voice and her multifaceted approach to music and the making of culture. Widely celebrated as a global icon of jazz, blues, and civil rights activism, Simone’s work was deeply rooted in classical music, which helped shape her phrasing, harmonic language, and improvisational brilliance. Fusing that classical precision with the emotional power of gospel, jazz, and blues, among other styles, Simone defied genre boundaries and created a body of work that remains uncategorizable—bold, boundary-breaking, and timeless.
View the entire Nina Simone: Beyond Category series here:
Monday, January 26, 2026: To Be Free – The Revolutionary Music of Nina Simone (Night One) INFO
Tuesday, January 27, 2026: To Be Free – The Revolutionary Music of Nina Simone (Night Two) INFO