Simon Hutchings-Saxophones/Clarinets/Flutes
Simon, a native of Kingston-upon-Thames England, is currently Instructor of Saxophone and Chamber Music at Bethune-Cookman University and at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida. He holds a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University, having served as a teaching assistant for three years, and has completed coursework toward a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Wytko. Simon received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College of Music in London, studying with Hale Hambleton (London Saxophone Quartet and English National Opera), and Christopher Gradwell (co-founder of the London Saxophone Quartet). While at Trinity, Simon reached the semi-final stage of the BBC 2 "Young Musician of the Year" competition, and performed at the Henley Arts Festival's "Young Musicians Platform" two years running.
Simon is a verastile performer and teacher in many varied musical genres, and currently enjoys a busy performing schedule. He was alto saxophonist with the Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet from 1998 to 2004, and has performed with many ensembles throughout the United States including the Phoenix Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, and the USAF Falconnaires. He is often engaged to accompany touring Broadway shows and national acts throughout Florida. Favorites have included the musicals, "Chicago," "Spamalot," and "Wicked," and performers such as Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Marie Osmond, The Temptations, and Frankie Avalon.
As a founding member of the Helios Saxophone Quartet, Simon has performed throughout the US, including recitals at the 2002 CBDNA Conference in Reno Nevada, the 2003 World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis Minnesota, and a 2004 New York City debut at Merkin Concert Hall. The group also served as Artists-in Residence for the 2003-2004 season at Brevard College in North Carolina.
Since moving to the US, Simon has been a winner of several international competitions including the 2003 Fishcoff Chamber Music Competition (Gold Medal), the 2003 Coleman Chamber Music Competition (1st Prize), and the 2000 Monterey Bay Chamber Music Competition in Carmel California (1st Prize). He is also a past winner of the ASU Contemporary Music Competition in both the Solo (Winner 2001, 2nd Place 2002) and the Chamber Music (Winner 2002, Winner 2003) categories.
Simon can be heard on the CD recordings "Entangoment" (Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet, 2000) and "Big Band Classic" (Craig Turley and His Orchestra, 2006), as well as the CDs of Trinity College of Music Big Band: "Trinity Fair" (1996) and "Horns of Plenty" (2004).
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