Mr. Garth Simmons

Garth Simmons *
...
Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and an adjunct instructor of trombone at Bowling Green State University.He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana.After leaving the West at age 17, he earned his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli.Garth continued his studies at Aspen Festival with Per Brevig, and at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and Performer's Certificate.
...
In the middle of his graduate study at Eastman, Mr. Simmons won a one-year position as principal trombone in the Florida Symphony Orchestra.Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician.During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
...
In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000.While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.Currently, in addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.He is often featured as a soloist with the TSO and at several area universities.Garth has also performed as a substitute and extra with the Detroit, Milwaukee and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.Mr. Simmons resides in Toledo with his wife and daughter.

Garth Simmons, trombone, and David Gilliland, piano
...
Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and an adjunct insturctor of trombone at Bowling Green State University.He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana.After leaving the West at age 17, he earned his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli.Garth continued his studies at Aspen Festival with Per Brevig, and at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and Performer's Certificate.
...
In the middle of his graduate study at Eastman, Mr. Simmons won a one-year position as principal trombone in the Florida Symphony Orchestra.

Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician.During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
...
In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000.While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Currently, in addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.He is often featured as a soloist with the TSO and at several area universities.Garth has also performed as a substitute and extra with the Detroit, Milwaukee and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.

Mr. Simmons resides in Toledo with his wife and daughter.

Garth Simmons featured in Rouses' Trombone Concerto

Instrument: Event:

Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and an adjunct instructor of trombone at Bowling Green State University.He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana.After leaving the West at age 17, he earned his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli.Garth continued his studies at Aspen Festival with Per Brevig, and at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and Performer's Certificate.
...
In the middle of his graduate study at Eastman, Mr. Simmons won a one-year position as principal trombone in the Florida Symphony Orchestra.Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician.During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
...
In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000.While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.Currently, in addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.He is often featured as a soloist with the TSO and at several area universities.Garth has also performed as a substitute and extra with the Detroit, Milwaukee and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.Mr. Simmons resides in Toledo with his wife and daughter.

Garth Simmons featured in Rouses' Trombone ConcertoGarth Simmons featured in Rouses' Trombone Concerto, Soloist in Rouse Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra.part of Also Sprach Zarathustra!See the entire Classics SeriesArtist Bio Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and an adjunct instructor of trombone at Bowling Green State University.He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana.After leaving the West at age 17, he earned his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli.Garth continued his studies at Aspen Festival with Per Brevig, and at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and Performer's Certificate.
...
In the middle of his graduate study at Eastman, Mr. Simmons won a one-year position as principal trombone in the Florida Symphony Orchestra.Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician.During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
...
In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000.While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.Currently, in addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.He is often featured as a soloist with the TSO and at several area universities.Garth has also performed as a substitute and extra with the Detroit, Milwaukee and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.Mr. Simmons resides in Toledo with his wife and daughter.

For Garth Simmons, the urge to learn to buzz and slide came early.

Growing up in a musical family in Billings, Mont., he loved the Sunday evening TVbroadcasts of symphony concerts , especially when the camera panned the back rows and focused on the brass sections.

"It was as much a visual thing as musical," recalls Simmons, today principal trombone for the Toledo Symphony and soon to be featured as a soloist.

"That slide really caught my attention.I had to get me one of those," he said, laughing."I marched right in and did it."

Simmons will make his Classics Series debut as soloist Friday and Saturday ina pair of 8 p.m. concerts in the Peristyle.

After earning music degrees at Northwestern University and the Eastman School of Music, and performing with many orchestras around the country, he joined theToledo Symphony roster in 2001.Today, he holds the Edward H. Schmidt Chair.Schmidt is the benefactor to whom both concerts are dedicated.

The concert is one of great challenge for the entire orchestra, although Simmons, also adjunct instructor at the Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts, may rightly claim extra butterflies.

After opening with Samuel Barber's succinct overture for the opera School for Scandal, the orchestra and Simmons , and guest conductor Giordano Bellincampi , will dive into what is widely regarded as the most difficult work written for trombone: the Christopher Rouse Concert for Trombone and Orchestra.
...
Rouse was resident artist at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where Simmons was a grad student at the time.His teacher played a recording of the Rouse composition for him.

"It's quite a piece of work," Simmons says, seriously."It's very difficult.It pretty much exploits and explores all the technical and musical extremes the instrument can produce."

Because Rouse understood the trombone, Simmons, adds, "He pushes it the limits of what the horn can do."

Symphony artistic administrator Merwin Siu contracted with Simmons to perform the work in 2006 , orchestras typically plan seasons way, way ahead , and to lead the orchestra, Bellincampi, whose 2005 appearance in Toledo drew high praise, was engaged, too.

Garth Simmons - trombone

Garth Simmons is the principal trombonist with the Toledo Symphony and Lecturer in trombone at the University of Toledo.He began playing trombone at age nine in his hometown of Billings, Montana.After leaving the West at age 17, he earned his Bachelor,s degree from Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli.Garth continued his studies at Aspen Festival with Per Brevig, and at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus, earning a Masters degree and Performer,s Certificate.
...
In the middle of his graduate study at Eastman, Mr. Simmons won a one-year position as principal trombone in the Florida Symphony Orchestra.

Following his graduation from Eastman, Garth spent several years in Chicago, where he enjoyed a highly successful career as a freelance musician.During this time he held the position of second trombone with both the Chicago Sinfonietta and Elgin Symphony Orchestra, while continuing his studies in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
...
In 1997, Mr. Simmons left Chicago to become the principal trombonist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2000.While in Birmingham, Garth was on the faculty of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Currently, in addition to his duties with the TSO, Garth maintains an active schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.He is often featured as a soloist with the TSO and at several area universities.Garth also performs frequently as a substitute and extra with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Simmons resides in Toledo with his wife, Lesli, their daughter, Amelia, and their two cats.