Mary Jean Simpson

Mary Jean Simpson began to play the flute in the seventh grade. She continued her studies at Del Mar College as a student of Shirley Justus and subsequently earned her Bachelor of Science in Music from the Juilliard School as a student of Julius Baker. She also holds a Master of Music Degree from the University of Texas at Austin as a student of John Hicks and a DMA from the University of Maryland at College Park where she studied with William Montgomery. She has played with the North Carolina Symphony, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, and as principal with the Shreveport and Missoula Symphony Orchestras. She was a Lecturer in Music at Centenary College (Louisiana) and then Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Montana, where she taught flute and music courses, was a member of the faculty woodwind quintet, and began arranging music for flute. Also a writer, she has many articles in print in professional publications, edited the Washington (DC) Flute Scene for sixteen years, was Editor of The Flutist Quarterly, and taught Professional Writing at the University of Maryland for a number of years. A Charter and Lifetime Members of the National Flute Association, she has served in many capacities including Secretary, Miller Collections Liaison, and Masterclass Reporter. She now lives in Connecticut, where she performs regularly for church services.