Simone Margaret Young AM (born 2 March 1961) is an Australian conductor and academic teacher. She is currently chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Biography and career

Young was born in Sydney, of Irish ancestry on her father's side and Croatian ancestry on her mother's. Young was educated at the Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney. She studied

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

, piano and conducting at the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

. Beginning in 1983, Young worked at

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with t ...

as a répétiteur under various conductors, including Charles Mackerras, Richard Bonynge, Carlo Felice Cillario and Stuart Challender. Young started her operatic conducting career at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

in 1985. In 1986 she was the first woman and youngest person to be appointed a resident conductor with Opera Australia. She received an

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

grant to study overseas, and was named Young Australian of the Year. In her early years, she was assistant to James Conlon, and

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

, at the Cologne Opera, and assistant to

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Moses Barenboim (; born 15 November 1942) is an Argentines, Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin, who also has Spain, Spanish and State of Palestine, Palestinian citizenship. From 1992 until January 2023, Bare ...

at the Berlin State Opera and the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

. From 1998 until 2002, Young was principal conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway. From 2001 to 2003, Young was chief conductor of Opera Australia in Sydney. Her contract was not renewed after 2003; one reason offered was the expense of her programming ideas. Young made her first conducting appearance at the Hamburg State Opera in 1996. In May 2003, she was named both chief executive of the Hamburg State Opera and chief conductor of the Philharmoniker Hamburg, posts which she assumed in 2005. In 2006, she became Professor of Music and Theatre at the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...

. Critics of the magazine '' Opernwelt'' selected her in October 2006 as the (Conductor of the Year). In December 2011, it was announced that Young would conclude her tenures with both the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Philharmonic after the 2014/2015 season. Young was the first female conductor at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

in 1993. She conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra when they performed Elena Kats-Chernin's "Deep Sea Dreaming" at the 2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Sydney. In November 2005, she was the first female conductor to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic. Her discography includes the complete symphonies of

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

and the complete '' Ring Cycle'' of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, where she was the first female conductor to have recorded either of these cycles. She has also recorded the complete cycle of Brahms' symphonies. In August 2008, Young appeared as part of the judging panel in the reality TV talent show-themed program '' Maestro'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

. In December 2012, she was voted ''

Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

'' magazine's Music Personality of the Year. In 2022, Young was that magazine's critic's choice as Australian Artist of the Year. In 2013, in commemoration of the bicentenaries for Richard Wagner and for

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

, Young conducted the entire '

Bayreuth canon The Bayreuth canon consists of those operas by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813–1883) that have been performed at the Bayreuth Festival. The festival, which is dedicated to the staging of these works, was founded by Wagner in 1876 in the ...

' of ten Wagner operas at a festival entitled (Wagner Madness) in Hamburg, along with three rarely performed Verdi operas as a trilogy in September to November – '' La battaglia di Legnano'', '' I due Foscari'', '' I Lombardi alla prima crociata''. In March 2016, Young was appointed a member of the board of the ''Europäische Musiktheater-Akademie'' (European Academy of Music Theatre). Young had first guest-conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in 1996. In December 2019, the SSO announced the appointment of Young as its next chief conductor, effective in 2022, with an initial contract of 3 years. Young is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the SSO. In February 2024, the SSO announced the extension of Young's contract as its chief conductor through the end of 2026. In 2024 Simone Young became the first woman to conduct ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

'' at the

Personal life

Young is married to Greg Condon, and has two daughters. She made her first appearance at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

while she was five months pregnant and conducted at the Vienna State Opera one month prior to giving birth in 1997.

Media, honours and awards

Young is featured in the

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

film ''Knowing the Score'' directed by Australian documentarian Janine Hosking, a biopic that "is first and foremost a captivating story of a dazzling 30-year music career." Young has received honorary doctorates from the universities of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. She has been appointed an (AM) "for service to the arts as a conductor with major opera companies and orchestras in Australia and internationally". In 2021 Young was named the Advance Awards Global Icon.

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, ''Verdi: Requiem'' (with

) , Best Original Cast or Show Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

Bernard Heinze Memorial Award

The Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia. ! , - , 2010, , Simone Young , , Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award , , , , MUSSE: Melbourne University Staff / Student E-news
/ref> , -

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ! , - ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Simone Young – '' Simon Boccanegra'' , Best Musical Direction , , , - , rowspan="2",

, Simone Young – '' Andrea Chénier'' , Best Music Direction , , rowspan="2", , - , Simone Young – ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'' , Best Music Direction , , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Simone Young – ''

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

'' , Best Music Direction , , , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Simone Young – ''Simone Young Conducts Mahler'' , Best Performance in a Classical Concert , , , - ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Simone Young – '' Turangalîla-Symphonie'' , Best Performance in a Classical Concert , , , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Simone Young conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic – '' The Resurrection Symphony'' , Best Individual Classical Performance , , , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, Simone Young Conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra – ''

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and Bruckner'' , Best Symphony Orchestra Concert , , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Simone Young won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1995 , Simone Young , Classical Performance of the Year , , -

Victorian Honour Roll of Women

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. , - , 2001 , , Simone Young, , Victorian Honour Roll of Women, , , , , -

International Opera Awards

(wins only) , - , 2024 , Simone Young , Conductor of the Year , , -

Selected discography

;DVD *''Simone Young: To Hamburg from Downunder'', documentary, directed by , Ovation, (2008) *'' Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites'', Hamburg State Opera, Arthaus Musik (2008) *'' Pfitzner: Palestrina'',

Bavarian State Orchestra The Bavarian State Orchestra () is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile The origins of the ensemble date back to 1523 and the times of composer Ludwig Se ...

, EuroArts (2010) *'' Reimann: Lear'',

Staatsoper Hamburg The Hamburg State Opera (in German: ) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of ...

, Arthaus Musik (2015) ;CD *'' Halévy:

La Juive ''La Juive'' (, ) is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra National de Paris, Opéra de Paris, on 23 February 1835. Composition history ''La Juive'' ...

'',

, RCA (2002) *''

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

: Tenor Arias'', Johan Botha (tenor), Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oehms Classics (2004) *'' Bürger: Stille der Nacht'',

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has a ...

, Toccata Classics (2006) *'' Hindemith:

Mathis der Maler ''Mathis der Maler'' (''Matthias the Painter'' is an opera by Paul Hindemith. The work's protagonist, Matthias Grünewald, was a historical figure who flourished during the Reformation, and whose art, in particular the Isenheim Altarpiece, inspi ...

'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2007) *'' Britten: Folksong Arrangements'', Steve Davislim (tenor), Simone Young (piano), Melba (2007) *'' Bruckner: Symphony No. 2'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2007) *'' Verdi: Requiem'', Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, ABC Classics, (2007) *''Wagner, Strauss: Transcendent Love: The Passions of Wagner and Strauss'', Lisa Gasteen (soprano), West Australian Symphony Orchestra,

ABC Classics ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult conte ...

(2008) *'' Dean: Brett Dean, Composer and Performer'', Brett Dean (viola), cellos of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Bis (2008) *''Wagner:

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nib ...

'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2008) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 3'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2008) *''Wagner, Verdi,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

: Knut Skram, Opera Arias'', Knut Skram (baritone),

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

, Simax (2008) *''Wagner:

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2009) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 8'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2009) *'' Brahms: Symphony No. 1'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2010) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 – Romantic (1874 version)'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2010) *''Strauss: Seduction: Songs by Richard Strauss'', Steve Davislim (tenor), Orchestra Victoria, Melba Recordings (2010) *''Wagner: Siegfried'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2011) *''Wagner:

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2011) *'' Mahler: Symphony No. 2'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2012) *''Mahler: Symphony No. 6'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2012) *''Brahms: Symphony No. 2'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2012) *''Wagner:

'', box set, Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2012) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 0'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2013) *''Brahms: Symphony No. 3 & No. 4'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2013) *''Bruckner: Study Symphony in F minor'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2014) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2015) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 6'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2015) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 7'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2015) *''Bruckner: Symphony No. 9'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2015) *'' Schmidt: The Book with Seven Seals'', Philharmoniker Hamburg, NDR Chor, Staatschor Latvija, Oehms Classics (2016) *''Bruckner: Complete Symphonies'', box set, Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2016) *''Brahms: Symphonies No. 1–4'', 3-CD set, Philharmoniker Hamburg, Oehms Classics (2017) *''

Lang Lang may refer to: *Lang (surname), a surname of independent Germanic or Chinese origin Places * Lang Island (Antarctica), East Antarctica * Lang Nunatak, Antarctica * Lang Sound, Antarctica * Lang Park, a stadium in Brisbane, Australia * Lang, ...

: ParZeFool'', Klangforum Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Kairos (2019)

Bibliography

References

External links

*
"Simone Young's discography
Naxos Records * {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Simone 1961 births 20th-century Australian conductors (music) 20th-century Australian women musicians 21st-century Australian conductors (music) 21st-century Australian women musicians Australian people of Croatian descent Australian people of Irish descent Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Helpmann Award winners Living people Members of the Order of Australia Music directors (opera) Musicians from Sydney Oehms Classics artists People educated at Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Australian women conductors (music) Academic staff of the University of Hamburg Chief conductors of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Chief conductors of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Chief conductors of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg