DERRICK HODGE (Thu, 12/4/25)

Derrick Hodge is one of contemporary music’s most complete and complex artists. Driven by a passion for music rather than genre, he is defined only by his multiplicity. Lauded as a composer and revered as one of the great bassists and musicians of his generation, Hodge’s solo projects-Live Today (2013), The Second (2016), and Color of Noize (2020)-have been met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike. His albums are rich, raw and revelatory, reflecting his breadth of musicality and influence; from roots in the church, to an undercurrent of hip-hop, neo soul and eternal reverence for melody and classical composition. Like the artist, Hodge’s music is defined only by its multiplicity .

Growing up just outside Philadelphia, Hodge’s talent was quickly recognized by the luminaries of the city’s neo-soul movement. As a college student, he became the bass player and musical director of choice for music pioneers like Jill Scott, Maxwell, Floetry, Nas, Common, James Poyser and Musiq Soulchild. At the same time, he was forging a career in jazz circles with legendary musicians including Terence Blanchard, Donald Byrd, Mulgrew Miller and Bootsie Barnes, while also performing in his university’s orchestra.

Hodge has played a foundational role in a wealth of groundbreaking projects and historic firsts. In 2022, he directed the music for the Academy Awards and arranged for Nas’s performance at the Grammys. As part of CNN’S Juneteenth celebration, conducted the first all Black orchestra to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2014 he became the first Black composer to compose Hip Hop for the National Symphony when he acted as orchestral arranger and music director for the 20^th anniversary celebration of Illmatic. The event, conducted by Steven Reineke at the Kennedy Center and named one of the top moments in hip hop history by Fender Magazine, was also the first time hip hop was ever performed by the National Symphony Orchestra. He was also the first Black composer to write strings for hip hop at Carnegie Hall and to write symphonic music for hip hop with the Houston Symphony.

This habit of breaking new ground and forging new paths speaks to how significant a cultural force Hodge is both on and beyond the stage. In 2017 he was commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to write an installation of music that accompanies their permanent exhibition exploring geography, memory, and imagination, The Power of Place. Hodge also composed for Social Dance, part of NMAAHC’s Cultural Expressions exhibition exploring African American and African diaspora culture, and its Making a Way Out of No Way, which pays tribute to the creativity, agency and resilience of Black people in the U.S.

Throughout his life, Hodge has devoted himself to projects that elevate and animate the African American legacy: the struggle but also-and always-the poetry and the triumph too. This ability to honor and advance both culture and people is the principle thread which weaves together Hodge’s work.