Simon Halsey holds a unique position in classical music. He is the trusted advisor on choral singing to the world’s leading conductors, orchestras, and choirs. As an ambassador for amateur choral singing of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, he has led massive and innovative events, most notably for New York’s Lincoln Center.
Making singing a central part of the world-class institutions with which he is associated, Halsey has been instrumental in changing the level of symphonic singing throughout Europe. He holds positions in the United Kingdom and Europe as Choral Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Artistic Director of the Orfeó Català Choirs and Artistic Advisor to the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Creative Director of Choral Music and Projects of the WDR Rundfunkchor, Conductor Laureate of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, and Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Birmingham.
He is also a highly respected professor and academic, nurturing the next generation of choral conductors in his postgraduate course in Birmingham, as well as through masterclasses at Princeton, Yale, and elsewhere. He holds four honorary doctorates from UK universities, and in 2011 Schott Music published his book and DVD on choral conducting, Chorleitung: Vom Konzept zum Konzert.
Halsey’s numerous awards include three Grammys for his recordings with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. He was appointed Commander of the British Empire in 2015, awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2014, and received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to choral music in Germany.
Born in London, Simon Halsey sang in the choirs of New College, Oxford, and King’s College, Cambridge, and studied conducting at the Royal College of Music in London. In 1987, he and Graham Vick founded the Birmingham Opera Company. He was principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir between 1997 and 2008 and principal conductor of the choral program of the Northern Sinfonia between 2004 and 2012. From 2001 to 2015, he directed the Rundfunkchor Berlin (of which he is now conductor laureate). Under his direction, the choir gained an international reputation as one of the best professional choral ensembles. Halsey also initiated innovative projects in unconventional venues and interdisciplinary formats.
Since the 2021-2022 academic year, he has been Professor of Choir at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid (Spain).