Simon, Geoffrey
Simon, Geoffrey
Simon, Geoffrey, Australian conductor; b. Adelaide, July 3, 1946. He was educated at the Univ. of Melbourne (1964–68), the Juilliard School in N.Y. (1968–69), and Ind. Univ. in Bloomington (1969–72). He also was a student in conducting of Ferrara in Hilversum (1972), Swarowsky in Ossiach, Austria (1973–75), Markevitch in France (1974), and Kempe in London (1974–75). He was asst. conductor of the South Melbourne Sym. Orch. (1966–68), and then music director of the Bloomington (Ind.) Sym. Orch. (1969–72). Returning to London, he was music director of the Australian Sinfonia (1975–79) and the Zemel Choir (1975–78). After conducting and teaching at the Univ. of Wise, in Milwaukee (1978–82) and at North Tex. State Univ. in Denton (1982–84), he was music director of the Albany (N.Y.) Sym. Orch. (1987–89). In 1991 he became artistic director of Cala Records in London, with which he recorded rarely heard scores from both the past and present; concurrently served as artistic advisor and principal conductor of the Sacramento (Calif.) Sym. Orch. in 1993–94, serving as its music director from 1994 to 1996. His guest conducting engagements have taken him around the globe.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire