Redding music instructor accepted at Peabody Conservatory


Immediate Release
April 20, 2006

REDDING, Calif. - Simpson music instructor and alumnus Nick Anderson has been accepted into the master's level
composition program at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.

Founded in 1857, Peabody is one of the top tier music schools in the country, on the level of Julliard School of Music
in New York.

'Acceptance to the Peabody Conservatory is a major accomplishment,' noted Dr. Dan Pinkston, assistant professor of
theory and composition at Simpson and himself an award-winning composer. 'The entrance standards are high, and students are rigorously tested and examined.'

Anderson and his wife, Rebecca, live in Redding. Rebecca works for Shasta Head Start, and Nick works for a group home
on the weekends. Since graduating from Simpson in April 2005 with a music major with an emphasis in composition,
Anderson has taught guitar and computer music technology at his alma mater. He also plays in Simpson's Jazz Ensemble,
which has performed at several north state venues.

Anderson said he was told he was one of only 20 composition students accepted into the program at Peabody for this
fall. 'I really didn't expect it at all,' he said. 'It's an honor to be able to go to a conservatory that's so
prestigious.'

Along with his application to Peabody, Anderson sent about 10 original compositions, written for piano, guitar, string
quartets and vocal performers. He wrote his first composition as a junior at Simpson.

'Nick's high musicianship, his hard work ethic, and his achievements in composition in the Simpson music curriculum are all contributing factors in his success,' Pinkston said.

Simpson University, located at 2211 College View Drive in Redding, is a Christian liberal arts university offering
undergraduate, graduate and teaching credential programs. Simpson's music department, headed by award-winning faculty,
has a long-standing reputation for excellence and offers personalized instruction in a variety of concentrations. For
more information about the university, or to arrange a personalized visit, call 1-888-9-SIMPSON or visit
www.simpsonuniversity.edu.
 

Contact: Dr. Dan Pinkston - Assistant Professor in Theory & Composition
dpinkston@simpsonuniversity.edu
(530) 226-4721