Simon Halsey

Simon Halsey is a trusted advisor on choral singing to orchestras and conductors worldwide.  He was recently appointed Artistic Advisor and Choral Director of the Oslo Philharmonic, and holds positions as Principal Guest Conductor and Choral Ambassador of Orfeó Català, Chorus Director of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Choruses, Principal Guest Conductor at WDR Rundfunkchor, Conductor Laureate of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, and Choral Director Emeritus of London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

In 2025/26, Halsey prepared the Prague Philharmonic Choir for performances of Dallapiccola’s »Il Prigioniero« with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Antonio Pappano, and returned to lead several choral weeks with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, a long-term collaborator. Highlights from his titled positions this season include Ravel’s »Daphnis et Chloé« suite with the Oslo Philharmonic and Kazuki Yamada, Elgar’s »The Dream of Gerontius« with the CBSO, also with Yamada, Mahler 3 with Joyce DiDonato, the Rundfunkchor Berlin, and Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and performances of the »human requiem« with Orféo Català.

Halsey’s numerous awards include three Grammys for his recordings with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. He was made Commander of the British Empire in 2015, was awarded The Queen’s Medal for Music in 2014, and received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to choral music in Germany. His work is the subject of the documentary film »Unsere Herzen – Ein Klang« (Our Hearts – One Sound), which was released in September 2022.

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.