Julia Simpson, the CSO’s new Development Research Analyst, started with the orchestra at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season. Julia enjoys working closely with Simms Oliphant, Director of Development, to oversee gift entry, donor stewardship, and financial reporting for the Development Department. More specifically, Julia manages the orchestra’s donor database, conducts prospective donor research, and provides financial reports and metrics to CSO Staff and Board Members.

Ms. Simpson, originally from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, is also a classically trained oboist and violinist. She attended the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas for her undergraduate degree, where she was a student of Robert Atherholt, retired principal oboist of the Houston Symphony. She completed her graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Frank Rosenwein, principal oboist of The Cleveland Orchestra. While at CIM, she also completed training to be a Suzuki Violin instructor with Kimberly Meier-Sims.

Most recently, Julia has performed with the Savannah Philharmonic as their Guest Principal oboist, and with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio as their 2nd oboe and English horn. She has also had the opportunity to perform with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra—under the batons of John Adams, Alan Gilbert, and Ken-David Masur. Ms. Simpson has also spent a myriad of summers playing all over the world at festivals such as the Lucerne Festival Academy, Festival Napa Valley, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Sarasota Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Kinhaven Music School, the Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

Julia originally fell in love with Charleston during her time as a 2022 Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Fellow. While playing in the festival, she premiered Omar—a new opera production by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels that was listed among the “Best Classical Music Performances of 2022” by the New York Times. An avid coffee drinker and lover of small businesses, Julia can often be found visiting her favorite Charleston spots–Sightsee Coffee Shop, Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop, and Madison-Mathews.