Chief Conductor/Västerås Sinfonietta
Artistic Adviser/Västerås Sinfonietta
Artistic Director/Change Music Festival
Conductor Fellow/NDR Elbphilharmonie 20/22
Artistic Adviser/Västerås Sinfonietta
Artistic Director/Change Music Festival
Conductor Fellow/NDR Elbphilharmonie 20/22
Simon is a multi-festival director, conductor, renowned pianist, creative programmer with a passion for championing contemporary repertoire, and a chamber musician who regularly collaborates with artists such as Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, Roderick Williams and Anne Sofie von Otter in repertoire from Haydn and Schumann to Adès, Byström, Dean and Reich. His own ensembles include The Kungsbacka Piano Trio and Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble (resident artists at Stockholm Konzerthus). Simon is the Artistic Director of the Change Music Festival in Norra Halland, Västerås Music Festival and Co-Artistic Director of the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival as well as Chief Conductor & Artistic Advisor of Västerås Sinfonietta, alongside multiple guesting roles.
Simon’s spicy and eclectic programming is reflected in an extraordinarily varied career as a conductor/director alongside his solo collaborations. His triumphant season has included conducting debuts with Royal Swedish Opera in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was Norman Lebrecht’s Opera of the week and SvenskaDagbladet wrote “The Swedish Royal Opera Orchestra under the direction of Simon Crawford-Phillips manage to reveal the myriad of temperament and structure that the music contains, without the dreaminess disappearing”; Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the world premiere of Börtz Violin Concerto for Onewith Malin Broman and Norrköpings Symfoniorkester; directing the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in a joint programme with Pekka Kuusisto; and the world premiere of a new double concerto from Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev for him as director/soloist and Hugo Ticciati with Tapiola Sinfonietta.
Upcoming conducting debuts for Simon include Swedish Royal Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Pekka Kuusisto, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Britten and Berlioz. Reinvites include Uppsala, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Jönköping Sinfonietta and Musica Vitae for a programme of Tippett, Wallen, Gerswhin & Bloch. Recent conducting engagements include Gothenburg Symphony, Uppsala (world premiere of Monnakgotla Saxophone Concerto with Johannes Thorell), Helsingborg Symphony, Dalasinfoniettan Nordic Chamber Orchestra, directing Sinfonia Varsovia in Warsaw’s Lutosławski Chain Festival. Simon has also conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Nash Ensemble, the Swedish Radio Symphony, Aalborg Symphony, Polish Chamber, and English Chamber orchestras.
Other regular collaborators include artists such as Colin Currie, Anthony Marwood, Truls Mørk, Phillip Moore, Michael Schade, Roman Simović, Torleif Thedéen, and the Danish and Elias string quartets. Passionate about contemporary music Simon has recently given world premieres of music by Thomas Adès, Britta Byström, Steve Reich and Mark-Anthony Turnage as well as working alongside composers Sofia Gubaidulina, Simon Holt, Colin Matthews and Huw Watkins.
In 2017 Simon was appointed Artistic Adviser and Chief Conductor of Västerås Sinfonietta. He has broadened the Sinfonietta’s reach and repertoire as well as launching the Sinfonietta’s own festival. Västerås Sinfonietta’s recent disc release, for BIS, features the world premiere recording of Albert Schnelzer’s Burn my letters and A Freak in Burbank.
As a pianist The Guardian says Simon has “profound sensitivity and technical brilliance, achieving an expressive intensity that made for compelling listening.” He performs in premiere festivals and concert halls across Europe including Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Edinburgh, and at Wigmore Hall where he appears as the regular pianist with Chamber Ensemble in Residence, the acclaimed Nash Ensemble, and in recital with Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, and Phillip Moore. Notable concerto debuts include the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alan Gilbert, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra directing from the keyboard. Passionate about contemporary music Simon has recently given world premieres of music by Thomas Adès, Britta Byström, Steve Reich and Mark-Anthony Turnage as well as working alongside composers Sofia Gubaidulina, Simon Holt, Colin Matthews and Huw Watkins.
Simon’s numerous recordings include Fanny and Felix for dB Productions with Malin Broman and award-winning Swedish string orchestra, Musica Vitae, The KungsbaTrio have released two volumes of Complete Schumann Piano Trios on BIS, and the Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble released Voices of Angels (Dean, Gubaidulina, Rachmaninov). Simon also appears with the Nash Ensemble for Hyperion (Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann), and Västerås Sinfonietta’s recording, Nightingale. In addition to radio and television broadcasts in Europe, Australia and Japan Simon has also presented concerts for Sweden’s classical music radio station P2.
A renowned teacher, Simon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2010 and currently teaches at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama. Recent guest teaching has included the Schymberg masterclasses in Sweden together with Anne Sofie von Otter and chamber music at Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Colorado.
Simon’s spicy and eclectic programming is reflected in an extraordinarily varied career as a conductor/director alongside his solo collaborations. His triumphant season has included conducting debuts with Royal Swedish Opera in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was Norman Lebrecht’s Opera of the week and SvenskaDagbladet wrote “The Swedish Royal Opera Orchestra under the direction of Simon Crawford-Phillips manage to reveal the myriad of temperament and structure that the music contains, without the dreaminess disappearing”; Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the world premiere of Börtz Violin Concerto for Onewith Malin Broman and Norrköpings Symfoniorkester; directing the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in a joint programme with Pekka Kuusisto; and the world premiere of a new double concerto from Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev for him as director/soloist and Hugo Ticciati with Tapiola Sinfonietta.
Upcoming conducting debuts for Simon include Swedish Royal Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Pekka Kuusisto, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Britten and Berlioz. Reinvites include Uppsala, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Jönköping Sinfonietta and Musica Vitae for a programme of Tippett, Wallen, Gerswhin & Bloch. Recent conducting engagements include Gothenburg Symphony, Uppsala (world premiere of Monnakgotla Saxophone Concerto with Johannes Thorell), Helsingborg Symphony, Dalasinfoniettan Nordic Chamber Orchestra, directing Sinfonia Varsovia in Warsaw’s Lutosławski Chain Festival. Simon has also conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Nash Ensemble, the Swedish Radio Symphony, Aalborg Symphony, Polish Chamber, and English Chamber orchestras.
Other regular collaborators include artists such as Colin Currie, Anthony Marwood, Truls Mørk, Phillip Moore, Michael Schade, Roman Simović, Torleif Thedéen, and the Danish and Elias string quartets. Passionate about contemporary music Simon has recently given world premieres of music by Thomas Adès, Britta Byström, Steve Reich and Mark-Anthony Turnage as well as working alongside composers Sofia Gubaidulina, Simon Holt, Colin Matthews and Huw Watkins.
In 2017 Simon was appointed Artistic Adviser and Chief Conductor of Västerås Sinfonietta. He has broadened the Sinfonietta’s reach and repertoire as well as launching the Sinfonietta’s own festival. Västerås Sinfonietta’s recent disc release, for BIS, features the world premiere recording of Albert Schnelzer’s Burn my letters and A Freak in Burbank.
As a pianist The Guardian says Simon has “profound sensitivity and technical brilliance, achieving an expressive intensity that made for compelling listening.” He performs in premiere festivals and concert halls across Europe including Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Edinburgh, and at Wigmore Hall where he appears as the regular pianist with Chamber Ensemble in Residence, the acclaimed Nash Ensemble, and in recital with Daniel Hope, Lawrence Power, and Phillip Moore. Notable concerto debuts include the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alan Gilbert, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra directing from the keyboard. Passionate about contemporary music Simon has recently given world premieres of music by Thomas Adès, Britta Byström, Steve Reich and Mark-Anthony Turnage as well as working alongside composers Sofia Gubaidulina, Simon Holt, Colin Matthews and Huw Watkins.
Simon’s numerous recordings include Fanny and Felix for dB Productions with Malin Broman and award-winning Swedish string orchestra, Musica Vitae, The KungsbaTrio have released two volumes of Complete Schumann Piano Trios on BIS, and the Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble released Voices of Angels (Dean, Gubaidulina, Rachmaninov). Simon also appears with the Nash Ensemble for Hyperion (Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann), and Västerås Sinfonietta’s recording, Nightingale. In addition to radio and television broadcasts in Europe, Australia and Japan Simon has also presented concerts for Sweden’s classical music radio station P2.
A renowned teacher, Simon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2010 and currently teaches at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama. Recent guest teaching has included the Schymberg masterclasses in Sweden together with Anne Sofie von Otter and chamber music at Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Colorado.
Concerts
January 2025
11 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
15-17 Research project Mälardalen University
20-24 Play/Direct GUSO Chamber Orchestra - Gothenburg, Sweden
27-31 Conducting Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Sundsvall, Sweden
February 2025
3-4 Conducting GUSO - Gothenburg, Sweden
8 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
12 Waldermarsudde Byström/Wahlstrand Release Concert
15-23 Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival
March 2025
1 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
9 Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music Project, Edinburgh, Scotland
10-14 Play/Conduct Scottish Chamber Ochestra, Edinburgh/Glasgow, Scotland
17-22 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Västerås, Sweden
25-26 Conducting GUSO - Gothenburg, Sweden
April 2025
2-5 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Jazz Fest with Magnus Lindgren - Västerås Konserthus, Sweden
7-11 Conducting Werland Opera Orchestra/Västerås Sinfonieta, Västerås/Karlstad, Sweden
14-15 CD Recording Nash Ensemble
22-24 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Västerås Konserthus, Sweden
May 2025
1-3 Winchester Chamber Music Festival, Winchester, UK
5-11 Tour Denmark/Germany, Västerås Sinfonietta
12-14 RAM Chamber Orchestra, London, UK
16-17 Conducting Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm, Sweden
19-23 Conducting GUSO Symphony Orchestra - Gothenburg, Sweden
11 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
15-17 Research project Mälardalen University
20-24 Play/Direct GUSO Chamber Orchestra - Gothenburg, Sweden
27-31 Conducting Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Sundsvall, Sweden
February 2025
3-4 Conducting GUSO - Gothenburg, Sweden
8 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
12 Waldermarsudde Byström/Wahlstrand Release Concert
15-23 Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival
March 2025
1 Nash Ensemble - Wigmore Hall, London, UK
9 Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music Project, Edinburgh, Scotland
10-14 Play/Conduct Scottish Chamber Ochestra, Edinburgh/Glasgow, Scotland
17-22 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Västerås, Sweden
25-26 Conducting GUSO - Gothenburg, Sweden
April 2025
2-5 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Jazz Fest with Magnus Lindgren - Västerås Konserthus, Sweden
7-11 Conducting Werland Opera Orchestra/Västerås Sinfonieta, Västerås/Karlstad, Sweden
14-15 CD Recording Nash Ensemble
22-24 Conducting Västerås Sinfonietta, Västerås Konserthus, Sweden
May 2025
1-3 Winchester Chamber Music Festival, Winchester, UK
5-11 Tour Denmark/Germany, Västerås Sinfonietta
12-14 RAM Chamber Orchestra, London, UK
16-17 Conducting Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm, Sweden
19-23 Conducting GUSO Symphony Orchestra - Gothenburg, Sweden