Simon Phillippo

Simon Phillippo studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and has performed and broadcast extensively throughout the UK and abroad, as a recitalist, concerto soloist and accompanist. A distinguished chamber musician, Simon has always devoted his musical life to collaborative and interdisciplinary performance at the highest level, and his career has embraced performance both as pianist and conductor. Simon was a conductor, pianist and chorus master at Welsh National Opera for 14 years, and he has performed with orchestras and opera companies around the world. He is also an eminent vocal accompanist and has performed a diverse repertoire with some of the world’s finest singers.

Simon is passionate about the education of young musicians and has taught at many universities in the UK. He has led the Keyboard Department at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama since 2015, creating a revolutionary course that focuses on the pursuit of pianistic excellence while offering a diverse, stimulating training in all the musical skills needed in order to thrive in today’s profession. Simon combines a lifelong devotion to performance with a busy research profile; he is currently editing the chamber works of Robert Simpson for Ricordi, Berlin, and is engaged in an extensive study of the piano trios of Haydn.

Simon has recently performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, and in St David’s Cathedral (Fishguard Festival). As a conductor he has led concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestras of Opera North and Welsh National Opera, and the Helios Orchestra of London, as well as conducting over 150 opera performances for Welsh National Opera. He adjudicates regularly at piano festivals and competitions, including BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Wales International Piano Festival in 2021.