Bio

Greg Simon, composer and jazz trumpeter, holds a Master's Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Puget Sound. He has studied with Richard Toensing, Daniel Kellogg, Carter Pann and Robert Hutchinson, and has worked in masterclass with Alan Fletcher, Michael Daugherty, Mark Anthony Turnage, Martin Bresnick, Forrest Pierce, Marilyn Shrude, and Dana Wilson. He has also studied with Kevin Puts and Robert Aldridge at the Brevard Music Institute. His works have been commissioned and/or performed by the Adelphian Concert Choir, the Tasman String Quartet, the Fifth House Ensemble of Chicago, the Playground Ensemble of Denver, and others. His work Three Portraits won the 2008 Edward Levy prize in composition; the resulting commission, Piano Quintet No. 1: Scenes from Childhood, won an honorable mention in the Fifth House Ensemble's Young Composer Competition. He has also been honored with the George Lynn Prize for his work Foolish Fire for wind ensemble, and the University of Puget Sound Composer's Competition for his orchestral work Night Scene. Greg also competed and placed third in the 2008 Iron Composer Competition at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Upcoming projects include works for the Lyons High School Wind Ensemble and the Corvallis Youth Symphony.

As a jazz musician, Greg has studied with Brad Goode, Paul Mazzio, and Darmon Meader of the New York Voices. He has been guest soloist with such diverse artists as Ingrid Jensen and Charles MacPherson, and collaborated with the ANALOG Arts Ensemble and Underground Jazz. He currently plays with the award-winning University of Colorado Jazz Ensemble, and does occassional freelance work in the Denver/Boulder area in multiple genres. Recently, he was featured as soloist in Michael Theodore's multimedia presentation What I Saw at the Apocalypse and Hunter Ewen’s Gi●nt’s Eye. Greg also keeps busy as an educator, having done educational work with the Tacoma Youth Symphony, Cheldelin Middle School and the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival. He is currently an instructor of Aural Skills and Instrumentation at the University of Colorado.

Greg has done administration work at the Aspen Music Festival and School and for the Pendulum New Music Series. In his spare time, he is the jazz columnist for the Boulder Examiner. Greg is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.