It was a breakthrough year for the Kennedy Center’s composer-in-residence, Carlos Simon. In September, he released “Brea(d)th,” an orchestral response to the police killing of George Floyd featuring the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra under Jonathan Taylor Rush and poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph (who is also the Kennedy Center’s artistic director of social impact). The same month, Simon released the 10-track “Together,” featuring collaborations with violinist Randall Goosby, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, baritone Will Liverman and cellist Seth Parker Woods. He also premiered a number of works, including “American Sonnets” with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, “Giants” for Imani Winds, “Go Down, Let My People Go” for the University of Michigan Symphony Band, and “Songs of Separation” commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and featuring Bridges. But my favorite music from Simon this year was his commission for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, “Four Black American Dances,” an action-packed and intricately detailed history lesson — and a testament to his talent as one of the most dynamic composers going.