My name is Chris Simmons. I am currently in my first year of a Bachelor of Music Education with the goal of getting my master’s in music education. I also perform professionally in the Hampton Roads area on the bassoon. My number one goal is to become like the high school music teachers who taught me and instilled in me a lifelong love of music. Another goal is to continue to get to perform, at higher and higher levels.

I have already gotten a taste of teaching, having taught at an international baccalaureate school where I was the upper level math and physics teacher. I am looking forward to using that experience toward my music education aspirations. On the performance side, this past Christmas season I had the opportunity to play principal bassoon for Ballet Virginia’s production of The Nutcracker at the Sandler Center.

It feels as if I’ve lived multiple lives sometimes. In previous stages of life, I was a state champion gymnast and then a nuclear engineer on a submarine for 3 deployments.