Simon Halsey

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Simon Halsey is a renowned English conductor, best known for his work with choirs around the world.

[edit] Life

Born in London in 1958, Simon Halsey sang in the choirs of both New College, Oxford and King's College, Cambridge; he studied conducting at the Royal College of Music in London. He now lives outside Birmingham, with his wife, two children and two dogs.

[edit] Career

Since 1986, he has been the Chorus Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, and of the City of Birmingham Youth Chorus since he founded it in 1995. He also currently acts as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berlin Radio Choir (Rundfunk Chor Berlin) and Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir (Groot Omroepkoor). In addition, he is Artistic Director and founder of the professional choir European Voices, and Principal Conductor, Choral Programme for the Northern Sinfonia.

Halsey has worked with orchestras and choirs all over the world. His position with the CBSC brings him into regular contact with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, including as conductor of the annual Christmas Concerts, and he has also conducted projects as diverse as Handel's Messiah with the Minnesota Orchestra and Faure's Requiem with the CBSC and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

He has also been involved with numerous recordings, including a live recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the CBSC and the Vienna Philharmonic, under Simon Rattle. In 2006 he conducted the CBSC in their first completely choral recording, an album of English Choral Favourites. In addition, Halsey is consultant editor on Faber Music's Choral Programme Series of sheet music.