Login

Enter your username and password

Photo: Andrew Castles

Born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1977, Simon Reade is a conductor, composer, trumpet player and educator. Simon is passionate about the performance of new music and has given the world premiere of over 100 new works by Tasmanian composers, many of these with the Hobart Wind Symphony, which he has directed for over 25 years. Simon also directs both the large ensembles at the University of Tasmania, conducts Tasmania's only A grade Brass Band, Glenorchy City Brass, as well as working freelance with professional and community organisations, including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra He is a fully represented composer at the Australian Music Centre and in 2022 was awarded the APRA/AMCOS State Luminary Award for Tasmania, for his sustained contribution as a conductor and the promotion of Australian Music.

Simon is very committed to the creation of new music and has particularly championed the music of over 25 Tasmanian composers. He has a special affinity with the work of Don Kay and premiered dozens of Kay's works including; Symphony 3 (2011), Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra (2017), Concerto for Trumpet, Winds and Percussion (as soloist/conductor, 2019) and Symphony 4 (2021). He gave the concert premiere of Kay's opera, The Bushranger's Lover to great critical acclaim (2014) and the premiere of the bushfires cantata, Conflagration, as part of the Festival of Voices (2021). Simon has revived a number of Kay's earlier works, including Northward the Strait at the Intervarsity Choral Festival (2009) and gave the concert premiere of 1992's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, with Michael Kieran Harvey (2014).

Simon is a sought-after and well respected conductor. He has been Musical Director of Hobart City Band Inc. since 1997 and as conductor of Hobart Wind Symphony won the 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2017 National 'A' Grade Concert Band titles. He took up the position of conductor with the University of Tasmania's Orchestra and Wind Ensemble in 2020 and was instrumental in the formation of the Hedberg Ensemble in 2022. In 2020-21 he worked with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra for new composer workshops and in 2023 he conducted for the TSO's Live Sessions in April and September. He is the conductor of Glenorchy City Brass, has had a long association with Tasmanian Youth Orchestra, Hobart Chamber Orchestra and from 2016-2019 presented new music concerts with Michael Kieran Harvey under the title FORUM. Since 2014 he has presented an annual workshop for composers, presenting works by over 30 composers from across Australia with the Hobart Wind Symphony. Recent conducting highlights include conducting soloist Elyane Laussade in a performance of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, Alexander Boldachev in a performance of Ginastera's Harp Concerto and working with the Brass of the TSO for their 2024 Live Sessions in Queenstown, as well as at the Vigil held for Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph, where he also conducted the TSO Chorus.

Simon is an accomplished Trumpet player. Recent performances include as soloist at the Helgart Mahler tribute concert in December 2024, the premiere of excerpts from Simon Barber' nON Existent crossing for Trumpet with Percussion Quartet and in 2022 his own Bon Anniversaire for solo Trumpet. In December 2021 he performed Simon Barber's kunanyi and Helgart Mahler's Glass-scapes as part of the Tasmanian New Music Ensemble's Line Tracing event. He has also worked in recital with pianist, Michael Kieran Harvey, premiering works by Harvey and Barber as well as his own unaccompanied Lullaby for Elliott, memorably performed at Michael Kieran Harvey's 60th Birthday concert held in the Nolan Gallery of MONA. In May 2019 he gave the world premiere of Don Kay's Concerto for Trumpet with Winds and Percussion, accompanied by his Hobart Wind Symphony. He won the Open Trumpet section at the 2010 Australian National Band Championships, and from 2003-2011 was principal Cornet with the Hobart Brass Band.

Simon is also a committed educator, working as an instrumental specialist across all disciplines in 6 Southern Tasmanian Schools for over 25 years. He has worked for TSO as a score caller for their live stream on a casual basis and is moving also into contest and festival adjudication. In 2019, Simon was one of the four finalists in the 2020 Australian of the Year Awards, Local Hero Category (Tasmania).

Simon is also a composer, having filled commissions from the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra, the Festival of Voices (Tasmania), IHOS opera, the Hobart Chamber Orchestra, the Derwent Valley Band and the Tasmanian Composer's Festival, amongst others. His music has been performed by such eminent performers as; Michael Kieran Harvey, Jabra Latham, Diego Campagna, Maurizio Barbetti, Duo Porto-Frontini, Luca Ferrini & Joze Kotar, Benjamin Price and Dr Matthew van Emmerik. He has music for band published through Brolga Music Australia, selected chamber works through Musicisti Associati Produzioni of Milan, and he has full representation at the Australian Music Centre. His most recent work is a piano solo for respected pianist, Vanessa Sharman, premiered in February 2025. A selection of his works are available to view on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCmiU7ywYrg

He lives in Campania, just out of Hobart, with his wife Claire and sons Owen, Callum and Elliott.

Simon Reade — current to March 2025