Simone Young | |
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 Young in 2010 | |
| Born | Simone Margaret Young (1961-03-02)2 March 1961 (age 64) Sydney, Australia |
| Education | Sydney Conservatorium of Music |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Organizations | |
| Awards | |
Simone Margaret YoungAM (born 2 March 1961) is an Australian conductor and academic teacher. She is currently chief conductor of theSydney Symphony Orchestra.
Young was born in Sydney, ofIrish ancestry on her father's side andCroatian ancestry on her mother's.[1] Young was educated at theMonte Sant'Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney. She studiedcomposition, piano and conducting at theSydney Conservatorium of Music.
Beginning in 1983, Young worked atOpera Australia as arépétiteur under various conductors, includingCharles Mackerras,Richard Bonynge,Carlo Felice Cillario andStuart Challender. Young started her operatic conducting career at theSydney Opera House in 1985. In 1986 she was the first woman and youngest person to be appointed a resident conductor with Opera Australia. She received anAustralia Council grant to study overseas, and was namedYoung Australian of the Year.[2] In her early years, she was assistant toJames Conlon, andKapellmeister, at theCologne Opera, and assistant toDaniel Barenboim at theBerlin State Opera and theBayreuth Festival. From 1998 until 2002, Young was principal conductor of theBergen 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.[3]
Young made her first conducting appearance at theHamburg State Opera in 1996. In May 2003, she was named both chief executive of the Hamburg State Opera and chief conductor of thePhilharmoniker Hamburg, posts which she assumed in 2005.[4] In 2006, she became Professor of Music and Theatre at theUniversity of Hamburg. Critics of the magazineOpernwelt selected her in October 2006 as theDirigentin des Jahres (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.[5]
Young was the first female conductor at theVienna State Opera in 1993.[4] She conducted theSydney Symphony Orchestra when they performedElena Kats-Chernin's "Deep Sea Dreaming" at the2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Sydney.[6] In November 2005, she was the first female conductor to conduct theVienna Philharmonic.[7] Her discography includes the complete symphonies ofAnton Bruckner and the completeRing Cycle ofRichard Wagner, where she was the first female conductor to have recorded either of these cycles. She has also recorded the complete cycle ofBrahms' symphonies.
In August 2008, Young appeared as part of the judging panel in the reality TV talent show-themed programMaestro onBBC Two.[8] In December 2012, she was votedLimelight magazine's Music Personality of the Year.[9] In 2022, Young was that magazine's critic's choice as Australian Artist of the Year.[10]
In 2013, in commemoration of the bicentenaries for Richard Wagner and forGiuseppe Verdi, Young conducted the entire 'Bayreuth canon' of ten Wagner operas at a festival entitledWagner-Wahn (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.[11] In March 2016, Young was appointed a member of the board of theEuropäische Musiktheater-Akademie (European Academy of Music Theatre).[12]
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.[13] Young is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the SSO.[14] In February 2024, the SSO announced the extension of Young's contract as its chief conductor through the end of 2026.[15] In September 2025 her contract was extended to late 2029.[16]
In 2024 Simone Young became the first woman to conductDer Ring des Nibelungen at theBayreuth Festival.[17]
In 2025 she was ranked the 10th busiest performer in Europe and North America according to the Bachtrack’s Classical Music Statistics 2025 list.[18]
Young is married to Greg Condon, and has two daughters. She made her first appearance at theMetropolitan Opera while she was five months pregnant and conducted at the Vienna State Opera one month prior to giving birth in 1997.[19]
Young is featured in thedocumentary filmKnowing the Score directed by Australian documentarianJanine Hosking, abiopic that "is first and foremost a captivating story of a dazzling 30-year music career."[20]
Young has received honorary doctorates from the universities ofNew South Wales,Sydney andMelbourne.[21] 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.[22]
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Verdi: Requiem (withOpera Australia) | Best Original Cast or Show Album | Nominated | [23] |
| 2025 | Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Barton: Of the Earth (withSydney Symphony Orchestra) | Best Classical Album | Nominated | [24] |
TheSir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Simone Young | Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award | awarded | [25] |
TheHelpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry groupLive Performance Australia since 2001.[26] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Simone Young –Simon Boccanegra | Best Musical Direction | Nominated | [27] |
| 2002 | Simone Young –Andrea Chénier | Best Music Direction | Won | [28] |
| Simone Young –Tristan und Isolde | Best Music Direction | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Simone Young –Lulu | Best Music Direction | Nominated | [29] |
| 2005 | Simone Young –Simone Young ConductsMahler | Best Performance in a Classical Concert | Won | [30] |
| 2008 | Simone Young –Turangalîla-Symphonie | Best Performance in a Classical Concert | Nominated | [31] |
| 2013 | Simone Young conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic –The Resurrection Symphony | Best Individual Classical Performance | Won | [32] |
| 2018 | Simone Young Conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra –Beethoven andBruckner | Best Symphony Orchestra Concert | Nominated | [33] |
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as theMo 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.[34]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Simone Young | Classical Performance of the Year | Won |
TheVictorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Simone Young | Victorian Honour Roll of Women | awarded | [35] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Simone Young | Conductor of the Year | Won[36] |
Media related toSimone Young at Wikimedia Commons| Cultural offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra 1998–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Music Director, Opera Australia 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Music Director, Hamburg State Opera 2005–2015 | Succeeded by |
