Biography

Dr. Stacy Simpson is Assistant Professor of Music of Trumpet and Director of Bands and Athletic Bands at Bellarmine University, where she has taught since 2013. Dr. Simpson’s responsibilities at Bellarmine University include teaching Applied Trumpet, as well as directing the Concert Band, Pep Band, and Brass Ensemble. She also serves as the Instrumental Music Area Coordinator for the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Dr. Simpson received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trumpet performance from the University of Kentucky. She holds a Master of Music degree in trumpet performance with a cognate in brass pedagogy from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance University of Louisville. Her principal teachers include Michael Tunnell, John Rommel, Stephen Burns, Marie Speziale, Mark Clodfelter, and Gordon Mathie.

As a trumpet player, Stacy is an active performer in the Kentuckiana region where she performs both classical and commercial music. She can be heard performing regularly at Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, and with the Louisville Orchestra. Dr. Simpson is an avid educator, adjudicator, and clinician and has performed and/or presented at many of the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Conferences, and the International Women’s Brass Conferences (IWBC).

She is sought after as an adjudicator for many band and solo competitions as well. She serves as coordinator for the Annual High School Brass and Woodwind Solo Competition at Bellarmine University. Stacy is a member of the American Federation of Musicians 11-637, the International Trumpet Guild, the Music Teacher’s National Association, and the International Women’s Brass Conference.

Stacy is a former member of the St. Louis Symphony and has performed with many of the top orchestras in the country. She has won numerous awards and competitions, including first place at the International Trumpet Guild Mock Orchestra Competition, the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition with the Canterbury Brass, the University of Louisville Solo Competition (twice), the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music Solo Competition, and has been a featured artist on WGUC of Cincinnati, Ohio. Stacy loves sharing her passion for music-making by maintaining a full trumpet studio in her home. She has held teaching positions at Campbellsville College, Central State University, and Sinclair Community College as well as Indiana University and the University of Kentucky.

In her free time, she teaches educational whiskey and tasting classes through Whiskey University, where she holds the degrees of Master of Science and Master of Arts with a Double Major in the Bourbon Capital Region and the Tennessee Whiskey Region and holds the honorary title of “Senior Chartered Master Bourbon Taster” with a rank of Lt. Colonial in the Bourbon Brigade. Additionally, she serves as the Education Chair for the Original Bourbon Society of Louisville. Dr. Simpson also serves as a Non-Scientist/Community Member on the Institute for Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Louisville.