Stuart Sims
Department
Music
Biography
Sims is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Studies at California State University, Stanislaus, where he conducts the Stanislaus Wind Ensemble, the Stanislaus Symphony Orchestra, and teaches conducting and music literature. Widely recognized for his work in the standard repertoire, Mr. Sims is also active in the commission and performance of new music, and performances of his ensembles have won praise throughout the country from composers whose work he has premiered or championed. Continuing this, the 2006-2007 concert season will bring four premieres and six composer residencies to the CSU Stanislaus Department of Music. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the 2002 & 2006 College Band Directors National Association divisional conferences, and the 2004 California Music Educators Association conference. His ensembles also travel often and widely, with recent and upcoming performances throughout the state and abroad, in Austria and Hungary (2004), Portugal and Spain (2005), and China (2007).
He is widely in demand as guest conductor and clinician, conducting the 2003 CODA All-State Symphony Orchestra, at the 2003 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the 2004 California Community College Honor Band, and the upcoming 2007 CBDA All-State Concert Band. Mr. Sims also frequently serves as guest conductor for regional honor groups, and at state music conferences, most recently at the 2004 & 2005 California Band Directors Association annual conferences, and the 2004, 2005, and 2006 CMEA conferences.
Mr. Sims is also on the staff of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, conducting the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, a highly select regional high school ensemble. He is active in other realms, having recently founded The Loose Filter Project, an arts collective that advocates active participation in the arts. The project includes a music publishing company (Loose Filter Music) dedicated to furthering the creative development of instrumental concert music.
Area of expertise
Conducting and instrumental music
What have you learned from your students?
That being open to new ideas remains the best teacher. And that pop culture can be really quite interesting.
Why do students choose CSU Stanislaus?
Music students are typically drawn to our campus by the music program itself, which is highly regarded throughout the state.
How do students succeed in your class?
Hard work, disciplined focus, and by staying connected to the inherent joy in making music.
What brought you to CSU Stanislaus?
A terrific job opportunity!
If you were not teaching, what other career do you see yourself in?
I could easily see myself as a professional conductor, or possibly a musicologist or even a producer. Outside of my field, though, I still have a fantasy of buying a cabin up in the mountains somewhere and being a writer.
Describe a former student who has attained professional success.
One of the first students I helped to mentor here is a working conductor in Texas, and is proving to be a formidable talent as he grows and matures in his music-making and thinking. I am thankful we've become friends, as well.
E-mail Address
ssims@csustan.edu
