Simon Kirkbride
Simon Kirkbride studied voice (Bass/baritone) at the Royal College of Music and upon his graduation he was awarded The Presidents Rose Bowl, the highest award given to a student by the RCM.
Simon made his operatic debut in 1997 singing Publio La clemenza di Tito for Welsh National Opera, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. Other notable appearances include Figaro Le nozze di Figaro for Glyndebourne Touring Opera Morales Carmen at Scottish Opera, Masetto Don Giovanni in Pisa, Vichy, Cremona, Treviso, Mantova and Como, and Lucca. Leporello Don Giovanni in Pisa and Lucca. Lycomedes in Handel’s Deidamia for the London Handel Festival, Thaddeus in the premiere of Birtwistle’s The Last Supper at the Staatsoper Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim, later revived at the Glyndebourne Festival, Priest of Jupiter in Luc Bondy’s production of Hercules at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence conducted by William Christie, later revived for Opéra National de Paris, Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the Vienna Festival, the Barbican (London) and Nederlands Oper, Ratcliffe in the world premiere of Battistelli’s Richard III and Cadmus Semele at the Vlaamse Opera, and Musiklehrer Ariadne auf Naxos for Den Norske Opera.
His performed repertoire also includes, Mr Redburn Billy Budd, Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso Così fan tutte, Zuniga Carmen, Minskman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, Garibaldo Rodelinda and Bartolo Il barbiere di Siviglia. Starveling A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Sprecher Die Zauberflöte for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Voice of Neptune Idomeneo for Les Arts Florissants in Paris and New York, Pilatus Johannes Passion directed by Robert Wilson conducted by Emmanuel Haïm at the Châtelet, Dr Bartolo Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Daniel Harding at the Festival d’Aix en provence, Theseus A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Opéra de Lyon and in Athens, Nazarene Salome and Hobson Peter Grimes for Grand Théâtre de Genève conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles and Thaddeus in concert performances of The Last Supper in Milan and Turin.
On the concert platform Simon has sung most of the major works of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Britten, Elgar, Walton, Mendelssohn and Beethoven, and has performed with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Calgary Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Les Arts Florissants, Le Concert d’Astrée, The King’s Consort, Florilegium, Haydn Festival Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Baroque Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Oslo Baroque Orchestra and London Baroque.
Recordings include Saint-Saëns’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic on Cala and Pippo Il tutore burlato by Soler with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset for Decca. He appears as Priest of Jupiter Hercules with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie in the Opéra National de Paris production recorded for DVD by Bel Air Classiques.
Simon’s last season before retiring from the world of professional singing as a performer included Valens in Handel’s Theodora with Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players, a European tour of music by Purcell with Collegium Vocale Gent, Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Cadmus / Somnus Semele at the Beijing Music Festival, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and Philippe Herreweghe, The Bonze Madame Butterfly for Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Albert Hall, Bartolo Figaro with the Classical Opera Company, and Father Hansel and Gretel and finally Alidoro La Cenerentola with Bergen National Opera
In 2012 Simon retired from performing, and worked closely with Bergen National Opera, where he developed and led their Ungestemmer (Young voices) program which is now managed by Edvard Grieg Korene. Simon also continues his work as a vocal coach and teacher. Since 2013 Simon has held the position of General Director of Edvard Grieg Korene.