Kids Meet the Music 2 with D-Composed + Isaiah Collier

ABOUT D-COMPOSED 

Historians of art and culture may not currently take into full account that Black culture and creativity are a part of every musical institution's foundation that we currently see today. D-Composed, a Black chamber music collective, exists to ensure that we never forget it. 

Led by their mission to uplift and empower society through the music of Black composers, this Chicago-based creative incubator acts as a bridge between the past and present to the future of representation, music-centered experiences, and the communal power of Black composers and their impact. 

Music is not just solely entertainment, for this collective music is a storytelling tool that educates and inspires. Unapologetically, Blackness is at the core of their experience, with protecting, nurturing, and sustaining on the other side. In the middle lies their impact — the people who make up these experiences, whether as musicians, creatives, or community members. 

As a Black ensemble that focuses exclusively on the works of Black composers, D-Composed ensures to partner with institutions that have a proven commitment to communities of color. They have collaborated with Apple, Theaster Gates’s Rebuild Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Kennedy Center, Kaufman Music Center, and TEDx. While merging the worlds of contemporary music and classical, they have also collaborated with Jamila Woods during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper.

The walls that exist to keep Black people out of America’s most beloved cultural institutions are meant to be scaled and then dismantled by the creative architects who are bold enough to build against the status quo. 

The meaning of the collective’s name embodies that boldness in action.

D–COMPOSED /DEE-KUHM-POHZD/ – ADVERB: Our creative process that involves the breaking down of preconceived notions, barriers, and opinions of what people think classical music should be, to rewriting our own narrative to reflect what the classical world could be. 

About Isaiah Collier

Isaiah Collier is a Chicago native, born and raised on the city's South Side. A composer, arranger, educator, and self-described "sonic scientist," Collier has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz. His work as earned numerous accolades from prestigious institutions and publications across the world.

Among his many honors, Collier has been named a Steve Archive Fellow, Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz (2024), and was featured on the front cover of DownBeat Magazine, the world's oldest jazz publication. His music has also been recognized by The New York Times, where his work was listed among the Best Jazz Albums of the Year. His groundbreaking suite, The Story of 400 Years, was spotlighted on NPR's Jazz Night in America, and he has been honored with the DownBeat Critics Poll award as well as being named Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Collier is known for his relentless pursuit of blending the rich traditions of the past with the urgency of the present to forge the sound of the future.. Described as a maverick of creative and inspirational force, he has collaborated with jazz luminaries such as Kahil El'Zabar, Ambrose Akinmusire, Craig Talborn, Joe Dyson, Azar Lawrence, NEA Jazz Masters Billy Hart & Marshall Allen, and Denardo Coleman (son of free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman) as well as Nicole Mitchell, Randy Brecker, Billy Harper, Marquis Hill, and Makaya McCraven. He is also widely know for his powerful ensemble, The Chosen Few.

A proud member of the legendary Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Collier stands firmly within the lineage of Chicago's rich tenor saxophone legacy. He is a mythic of sound, a servant to his craft and culture, and an artist who channels both reverence and innovation in every note.

DownBeat has hailed him as "The Next Sax Giant" — a title befitting an artist who continues to reshape the sonic landscape of modern jazz."