Melissa Sunshine Simmons, Clarinet

Biography

A performer of uncommon flair and versatility, clarinetist Sunshine Simmons completed her Doctor of Music degree at Northwestern University. She is currently the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of North Florida. Comfortable with the entire range of instruments in the clarinet family, Ms. Simmons is Principal Clarinet of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Section/E-flat Clarinet with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Bass Clarinet with the New Mexico Philharmonic. She has also enjoyed performing with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Milwaukee, Grant Park and Detroit in addition to Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera and Chicago Opera Theater.  Her chamber music activities have included performances with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, eighth blackbird, International Chamber Artists, Present Music, Santa Fe New Music and Chatter. Ms. Simmons is a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist.

Ms. Simmons was the winner of the Silberman Chamber Music Competition in Pittsburgh, PA performing Bartók’s Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, and has been featured with Accende Ensemble performing Golijov’s Dreams and Prayers for Isaac the Blind. She has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and the Frutillar Music Festival in Chile. 

As a soloist, Ms. Simmons was featured in the Chicago premiere of Alan Shulman’s Rendezvous for Clarinet and String Orchestra. She also performed the Clarinet Concerto by Aaron Copland for a live radio broadcast in Cluj, Romania with the Cluj Camerata.  A native of Pennsylvania, Ms. Simmons holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. Her principal teachers include J. Lawrie Bloom, Steven Cohen, and Thomas Thompson.