Biography

Simon Over studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, and Oxford University. From 1992 to 2002, Simon was a member of the music staff of Westminster Abbey, and Director of Music at both St Margaret’s Church and the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster. Since 2015, he has been Music Director at St Clement Danes, the central church of the Royal Air Force. He is the Founder-Conductor of the UK Parliament Choir, Principal Guest Conductor of the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand, formerly Music Director of Bury Court Opera, and Conductor of The Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir.

Artistic Director of Sinfonia Smith Square, Simon founded the orchestra in 2002. He is the Founder-Conductor of the UK Parliament Choir; in April 2023, Simon conducted the Parliament Choir and Sinfonia Smith Square (formerly Southbank Sinfonia) in their performance of The Dream of Gerontius (Elgar) in the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, marking the canonisation of Saint John Henry Newman. Simon has also worked with many internationally acclaimed artists as a conductor, pianist, and accompanist.