Simon Halsey

Simon Halsey is a sought-after conductor of choral repertoire at the very highest level and an ambassador for choral singing across the world. He is the Chorus Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Choruses, and the Choral Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Rundfunkchor Berlin (the permanent chorus partner of the Berlin Philharmonic) where he has been Principal Conductor for 14 years. Since becoming Choral Director of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in 2012, Halsey has been credited with bringing about a ‘spectacular transformation’ (London Evening Standard) of the LSC. Simon Halsey is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Birmingham, where he directs a postgraduate course in Choral Conducting, in association with the CBSO. He is in great demand as a teacher at other universities, and has presented masterclasses at top universities such as Princeton and Yale. In 2011 Schott Music published his book and DVD on choral conducting, Chorleitung: Vom Konzept zum Konzert, as part of its ‘Master Class’ series. Halsey was awarded The Queen’s Medal for Music 2014 for his influence on the musical life of the UK, and was also made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2015. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to choral music in Germany, Halsey was also given the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011.