Jonah Simmons presents his senior trumpet recital

In a display of his full potential as a musician, UT Martin Music student Jonah Simmons presented his senior trumpet recital on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Blankenship Recital Hall.

Simmons started his recital by performing the Concerto in Eb Major (1750) by Johann Baptist Georg Neruda with the accompaniment of collaborative pianist Dr. Chan Mi Jean. He recited both of the pieces sections, titled Allegro and Largo, demonstrating his mastery of varying dynamics and tempos. He went on to perform Concoctions for Solo Trumpet (1978) by John Cheetham, of which he used a different mute for each of the eight sections: Velociped, Innoculum, Polemix, Ecologue, Redundrum, Frenzoid, Entreaticle and Dictumn.

After a brief intermission, Simmons and Dr. Jean finished the recital by playing the exhilarating Sonata for Cornet and Piano, Op. 18 (1915) by Thorvald Hansen, maintaining a consistent level of skill throughout its sections titled Allegro con brio, Andante molto espressione and Allegro con anima.

Near the end of the recital, Simmons thanked his family, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Dresden, the sisters of Sigma Alpha Iota, the brothers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Dr. Jean, photographer Grace Kennedy and the UT Martin Music faculty for all the help they had provided him. He finished by saying, “Last but not least, I’d like to thank Dr. [Kurt] Gorman for, frankly, putting up with all of my excuses.”

Upon graduating from UT Martin, Simmons plans to teach and then return to college for graduate studies.