Jerome Simas, Assistant Professor
 (clarinet) |
(541) 346-3772 | jsimas@uoregon.edu
Jerome Simas has performed in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings in the US and abroad. He has performed as a guest clarinetist with the San Francisco Opera (principal clarinet) and with the San Francisco Symphony as a performer on subscription concerts, recordings, educational programs, and tours throughout Europe, China, and the US.
As a chamber musician, he studied and performed at Marlboro Music in Vermont and also represented the New World Symphony in chamber music concerts in Europe and the US. He won First Prize at the International Clarinet Society’s Young Artist’s Competition, Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and First Prize at the Yellow Springs, Ohio National Chamber Music Competition.
He was a fellowship recipient at both the Tanglewood Music Center and New World Symphony as principal clarinet under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, with whom he recorded Rhapsody in Blue and Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto for BMG Classics.
He has held principal clarinet positions with the California Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Monterey Symphony, and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, a group dedicated to promoting a mix of contemporary music alongside traditional masterworks. He has performed as soloist with the California Symphony, New World Symphony, Monterey Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Iris Chamber Orchestra, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony, where he received his BM and MM as a student of Cleveland Orchestra principal clarinetist, Franklin Cohen.
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, Jerome Simas was a lecturer in clarinet at Stanford University, the University of California at Davis, and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a music educator, he has taught master classes, performed in educational outreach concerts and coached youth orchestras and university ensembles throughout Northern California. He was recently appointed to the summer Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in western New York.
"A truly brilliant performance…"
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"…refreshingly played with supple dexterity and lyric charm by Jerome Simas…"
The Miami Herald
"Simas recognized the full gamut of clarinet moods, delivering them all with some of the cleanest sounds I have heard for some time."
The San Francisco Examiner
"Simas demonstrated the highest levels of musicianship in all aspects of his playing. His clarinet soared and swooped through the intricate passage-work with ease and aplomb, and demonstrated unfailing lyricism and style. He played with a wide range of tonal color that brought a hush to the audience….Simas imbued his playing with an infectious delight that left the audience feeling charmed and lighter than when they walked into the auditorium that evening."
Modesto Bee
