Common

Jonathan Taylor Rush brings passion, unique interpretations, and a refreshing energy to the orchestral experience. Rooted in his musical upbringing within the church, Rush’s approach to conducting is imbued with elements of gospel and soul music. He often welcomes artists from other genres to the orchestral stage and has worked with Cypress Hill, Leslie Odom Jr, Wordsmith, Ledisi, Freedia, Darin Atwater, and Karen Clark Sheard.

Rush’s conducting highlights include debut performances with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Nairobi Philharmonic, and Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. His 2024–25 season includes performances with Nashville Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, and Hartford Symphony. He is committed to the performances of living composers and has premiered works by James Lee III, Fernando Arroyo Lascurian, and Carlos Simon, whose piece brea(d)th he recorded for Decca Classics. Rush is also a champion of the music of William Grant Sill, Florence Price, and Samuel Coleridge Taylor. 

Rush previously served as assistant conductor and associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony from 2020 to 2023. He also served as artistic director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, which he led on its first-ever international tour through Europe.

Academy, Emmy, and Grammy Award–winning artist, actor, author, and activist Common continues to break down barriers with a multitude of critically acclaimed roles and continued success in all aspects of his career. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in August 2018.

In July 2024, Common released his new album with Pete Rock titled The Auditorium, Vol. 1, on Loma Vista Recordings. This is Common and Rock’s first full-length collaboration. The album is the past, present, and future happening all at once and in any decade. The album received two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance.

Common is currently in production for season 3 of Apple TV+’s sci-fi drama series Silo, where he stars opposite Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, Rashida Jones, and David Oyelowo. In winter 2024, Common released his health and wellness book And Then We Rise, which encourages people to take care of themselves through mind, body, and soul. In winter 2022, he made his Broadway debut playing Junior in Between Riverside and Crazy. His album A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 was released in September 2021 and served as an inspiring follow-up to his previous album, A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1, which was released in March 2020.

In 2019, Common released his hit album Let Love, inspired by his work and experiences writing his New York Times best-selling second memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word. In 2020, Common partnered with Audible to release his podcast Mind Power Mixtape as well as the Audible original Bluebird Memories: A Journey Through Lyrics and Life. He has dedicated countless hours and has been deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health, and voting. Common’s foundation Free to Dream encompasses his 20 years of leadership as a change maker, using his entertainment platform to advance the world’s most critical social causes, with a focus on education, justice, wellness, and jobs.