Simon Hutchings

Simon is a native of London, England. After graduating from Trinity College of Music, he moved to the US where he completed a Masters degree and Doctoral coursework in Saxophone with Joseph Wytko at Arizona State University.

As a multi-woodwind performer, Simon has had the privilege of sharing the stage with many world-renowned musicians including Johnny Mathis, Sting, Aretha Franklin, and Bernadette Peters, and currently enjoys regularly performing on Broadway and Off-Broadway on shows including The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Be More Chill, Company and The Music Man. He is also a past chair holder in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (The Rockettes) Orchestra, where he performed for several years.

While enjoying the varied experiences of living in Arizona, Florida, and NYC, Simon is very proud to have taught music in many different settings from middle school band and community schools of music, to university-level instrumental lessons and chamber music classes. He is the featured clarinet and saxophone pedagogue on Alfred Publishing’s innovative ‘Sound Innovation’ method books for band.

Along with his wife, Tereasa, Simon has enjoyed visiting and performing at Tuacahn Center for the Arts’ summer seasons since 2011.

Tereasa Payne

Fierce. Tenacious. Adventurous. Fearless. These are words that are often used to describe Tereasa Payne. After starting her career as an orchestral flutist, Tereasa added clarinet and saxophone to her arsenal because she wanted an additional challenge. Loving the new opportunities that these additional instruments opened up to her, she began to seek out new worlds through flutes and to boldy go where no career has gone before.

Tereasa has soloed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, appeared as panflute soloist on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” (with Kygo), been seen playing ocarina on the Gaslight stage in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and performs regularly on Broadway with shows including Disney’s The Lion King, where she plays 14 different flutes from around the world. Tereasa has collaborated with many legendary artists from Sir James Galway to The Temptations to Bernadette Peters, and has performed with orchestras throughout the U.S. and abroad.

A world flutes consultant for many esteemed Broadway composers and orchestrators, Tereasa most recently worked on the scores of new musicals with Stephen Flaherty and Bruce Coughlin (A Man of No Importance), Stephen Schwartz & August Eriksmoen (Prince of Egypt), Chris Jahnke & Scott Wasserman (Other World) and Jim Abbott (Disney’s When you Wish.), and on the animated Mel Brooks movie, Paws of Fury. She has also recorded extensively on world flutes, and she is dedicated to sharing her “Flutes of the World” concert with others from concert halls to hospice homes to educational centers and beyond.

Passionate about sharing her knowledge of music with others, Tereasa is currently on faculty at the Bloomingdale School of Music in NYC. She was formerly Instructor of Flute at Daytona State University (FL) and Bethune-Cookman University (FL). She also maintains a roster of talented and enthusiastic students of all ages, both at her home teaching studio and via online lessons with students throughout the world. Her Virtual Flute Choir brings together flutists from across the country to collaborate and create music together!

www.tereasapayne.com