Greg Simm
Greg
has been a prominent figure on the East Coast music scene for over thirty-five
years. Beginning with performing for country-dances when he was fifteen years
old, he has been in constant demand as an instrumentalist, arranger, teacher
and producer ever since. He is a product of the Windsor Regional High School
band under the direction of Brian Johnston.
In
1987 he performed in his first theatrical production “Hank Williams-The Show He
Never Gave” at Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro NS. This began a twenty-five
year professional relationship with the company with duties that included
musician, musical director, sound-scape composer and board member. His music
has been heard in fifteen main stage productions at SCT. In partnership with
then Artistic Producer Pamela Halstead he founded the Ship’s Company Theatre
Fiddle Camp in 2006 and the popular autumn Main Stage Concert Event the same
year.
Teaching
and presenting music workshops has taken Greg across the country many times
from Coast to Coast to Coast. Most notable is his ongoing relationship with the
Tusarnaarniq Sivumut (An Inuktitut word
meaning “Music For The Future”) Association that he co-founded with Lunenburg
County educator Julie Lohnes. The organization (TSA) is dedicated to provide
ongoing musical education for Inuit Youth in some of the most remote
communities in Canada. Since 2007, he has been presenting workshops on around
Baffin Island and he is also a board member of the organization.
Greg
has been recognized four times as a finalist for Music Nova Scotia’s “Educator
Of The Year” for his work across the country and as a private instructor in
Nova Scotia.
As
a multi instrumentalist (guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, tuba, bouzouki, and
keyboards), Greg has been heard in a variety of live performances and recording
sessions over the years. He has appeared with and/or recorded with artists as
diverse as Grammy Award winner Denny Doherty (lead singer of the Mamas and
Papas), Lennie Gallant, Kendra MacGillivray, Richard Wood, John Gracie, Teresa
Ennis, Alistair Macdonald, Kelli Trottier, Brian Vardigans, Finnan Haddie and
children’s entertainers Donna And Andy. For over twenty-five years, he has
worked with Master Fiddler Gordon Stobbe on a variety of musical projects
across the country. His current group “Prairie Sea” features longtime musical
friend Jim Bell on Hammered Dulcimer and Saskatoon based violinist Kim
deLaforest. Their debut CD “Prairie Sea” was nominated for a 2013 Music Nova
Scotia Award in the “Traditional Folk” category.