Sim Flora is a jazz trombone player and professor emeritus / former Chairman of Music Theory and Jazz Studies at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.  A native of Southern Illinois, Dr. Flora earned his Ph.D. in Music Education at The University of Oklahoma, his Master of Music Education at Ouachita Baptist University and a Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois.

His unique and varied career has included public school teaching in Southern Illinois, free-lance trombone work on the West Coast and in the St. Louis area and a seven-year tenure as Musical Director at Six Flags Over St. Louis.  He has served on the faculty of Clark Terryʼs All-American Jazz Camps, various university summer jazz camps and is currently on staff with the prestigious Alessi Seminar.  Dr. Flora has presented master classes and directed All State and regional honor jazz bands throughout the United States.  He has appeared as guest artist with many university and community bands and trombone choirs, The United States Air Force Band and has twice been featured soloist at the Eastern Trombone Workshop with The University of Alabama.  He recently served as guest soloist at the International Trombone Festival with the Murray State University trombone choir and worked three weeks as guest lecturer at Liverpool Hope University in Liverpool, England.

Dr. Flora has instrumental arrangements published by Southern Music, choral anthems published by the G. Lorenz Company and childrenʼs songs published by LifeWay Christian Resources.  He and his son, Nick, operate Off The FLor Music, which, in 2003, released Dr. Floraʼs debut CD recording entitled Sound Doctrine and in 2011 released Nick Floraʼs recording, Hello Stranger.  Sim Flora is an artist for the Michael Rath Trombone Company, plays custom built Rath trombones and in his retirement, continues to maintain a busy performance and teaching schedule.