Music making and Biography
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Simon Lumby is a conductor, tenor, organist, and pianist of some noted versatility. In an time of ever-increasing specialisation, Simon enjoys being thought of as something of a polymath, bringing a wide range of experience and influences to his music-making.
Simon is Music Director of the Ryton Chorale, a 40 strong voice choral society based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and ‘Viva la Musica’ a very exciting young Chamber Choir based in Loughborough. He combines this with a quite hectic schedule of concerts and buys teaching practice in his home town of Nottingham. Simon studied singing with Robert Alderson at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and studied the organ principally with Andrew Fletcher in Birmingham. Music, however, had been something that had absorbed Simon very early in his life – having some very early informal organ tuition (at the age of 10) from the late Sir George Thalben Ball, who was City Organist of Birmingham. |
Having held several minor appointments, Simon was Organist and Director of Music to the Parish Church of The Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield from 1992 – 6 and also Assistant Music Director of the Sutton Coldfield Choral Society. Both of these appointments were important in giving Simon a very definite understanding of the music that he enjoyed performing and the standard to which he was striving both as an Organist and Choral Director. A versatile musician, Simon has also worked extensively in professional theatre and was an associate Musical Director to Bayley Vann Productions and has conducted many shows including Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and part of the national tour of 'Chess' starring Rebecca Storm.
Organ recitals have included the Cathedrals of Hereford, Leicester, Coventry, Lichfield and Liverpool, the Abbey of Westminster and Ampleforth, St. Giles’ Cripplegate, and St. Bride’s Fleet Street. Other concerts of note have included the recent opening recital of the Harrison Organ at the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield and several Battle of the Organs with the late and great flamboyant American virtuoso, Carlo Curley.
Piano recitals have included The Purcell Room, in London’s South Bank Complex, the Midlands Arts Centre and Solihull Library Theatre. A keen advocate of chamber music, Simon has taken a particular interest in the music of Ivor Gurney, bringing his songs and poetry to a wider audience. Concerto performances have included Mozart 25th Concerto, Schumann, Bartok 2nd Concerto and Rachmaninov Variations of a theme by Pagannini.
Singing performances have included Bach St. John Passion (for Liverpool Cathedral), Handel Messiah at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Tippett A Child of our Time for Manchester Cathedral and Stainer Crucifixion for Lichfield Cathedral. Other concert appearances of note have included Mozart Mass in C minor for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Beethoven Missa Solemnis at Manchester Town Hall with the Northern Symphonia.
Organ recitals have included the Cathedrals of Hereford, Leicester, Coventry, Lichfield and Liverpool, the Abbey of Westminster and Ampleforth, St. Giles’ Cripplegate, and St. Bride’s Fleet Street. Other concerts of note have included the recent opening recital of the Harrison Organ at the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield and several Battle of the Organs with the late and great flamboyant American virtuoso, Carlo Curley.
Piano recitals have included The Purcell Room, in London’s South Bank Complex, the Midlands Arts Centre and Solihull Library Theatre. A keen advocate of chamber music, Simon has taken a particular interest in the music of Ivor Gurney, bringing his songs and poetry to a wider audience. Concerto performances have included Mozart 25th Concerto, Schumann, Bartok 2nd Concerto and Rachmaninov Variations of a theme by Pagannini.
Singing performances have included Bach St. John Passion (for Liverpool Cathedral), Handel Messiah at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Tippett A Child of our Time for Manchester Cathedral and Stainer Crucifixion for Lichfield Cathedral. Other concert appearances of note have included Mozart Mass in C minor for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Beethoven Missa Solemnis at Manchester Town Hall with the Northern Symphonia.