# Wilbur Simpson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wilbur_Simpson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wilbur_Simpson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Simpson > Source revision: 1316549212 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American musician}} '''Wilbur H. Simpson''' (December 6, 1917 in [Angola, Indiana](/source/Angola%2C_Indiana) – June 17, 1997 in [Platte Lake, Michigan](/source/Platte_Lake%2C_Michigan)) was an American [classical](/source/classical_music) [bassoonist](/source/bassoonist) and [pedagogue](/source/pedagogue). At [Northwestern University](/source/Northwestern_University), he studied with [Hugo Fox](/source/Hugo_Fox), principal bassoonist of the [Chicago Symphony Orchestra](/source/Chicago_Symphony_Orchestra). During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), he served in the navy aboard the battleship {{USS|West Virginia|BB-48}}. He was in the Navy Band that played aboard the {{USS|Missouri|BB-63}} during the Japanese Surrender. In 1946, he joined the [Chicago Symphony Orchestra](/source/Chicago_Symphony_Orchestra), first as contrabassoonist, then as second bassoon, where he remained until his retirement in the fall of 1991. He was awarded the Theodore Thomas Medal for his service to the CSO. He was an original member of the Chicago Symphony Woodwind Quintet, and later the Chicago Symphony Winds, which played throughout the United States and abroad. He was featured in a segment of the [WNIB](/source/WNIB_(defunct)) radio series marking the 100th anniversary of the CSO during 1990–91, along with Adrian Da Prato, a violinist who also had joined the orchestra in 1946. They were the two senior members of the orchestra. Well known as a teacher, he served as Professor of Bassoon at [Northwestern University](/source/Northwestern_University), and taught at [DePaul University](/source/DePaul_University) and the [Chicago Conservatory College](/source/Chicago_Conservatory_College). Many of his former pupils now occupy positions in leading orchestras of the world. Among his students was [Susan Nigro](/source/Susan_Nigro).{{cite book|title=The Grove Dictionary of American Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQiiDAEACAAJ|date=January 2013|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-531428-1}} ==References== {{reflist}} *Obituaries: Charles WP Cracknell, William S. Buzzard, Wilbur H. Simpson (1997). Journal of the International Double Reed Society, 25: pp. 65. ==Further reading== *[http://www.bruceduffie.com/wilbur.html Interview with Wilbur Simpson and Adrian Da Prato], December 13, 1990 {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Wilbur}} Category:1917 births Category:1997 deaths Category:American classical bassoonists Category:Bienen School of Music alumni Category:DePaul University faculty Category:Northwestern University faculty Category:People from Angola, Indiana Category:20th-century American classical musicians Category:Players of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra {{US-classical-musician-stub}} {{US-woodwind-musician-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wilbur Simpson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Simpson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Simpson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.