Garth Simmons, trombone, and David Gilliland, piano
March 2, 2007
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. Other notable performing credits from this time include Sir Georg Solti’s Carnegie Hall Project, the Schlossfestspiele Heidelberg, Germany, and soloist with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.
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.
David Gilliland began playing the piano at the age of five. Under the tutiledge of Jean Barr, he earned a masters in accompanying from the Eastman School of Music in 1999, and four years later, a doctorate in collaborative piano with Margo Garrett and Karl Paulnack at the University of Minnesota. In addition to multiple performances with professional opera and musical theater companies, David has participated in several music festivals including the Banff Centre of the Arts and the Music Academy of the West. He has been a pianist for the Sphinx competition for four years, and has performed with the likes of David Jackson, Sharan Levanthal and Nancy Ambrose King. To temper his ‘classical’ side, David is also an avid jazz pianist, and has toured the Mediterranean, Carribean, and Mexican Riviera for Carnival and Cunard Cruise Lines. He is currently a staff accompanist for the University of Michigan, and the Coordinator of Collaborative Piano for the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.
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