Simon Hewett

Simon Hewett is the QYO Director of Music and Conductor of the Queensland Youth Symphony. After completing a Bachelor of Music at the University of Queensland (First Class Honours and a University Medal), Simon received a German Government Scholarship and finished his studies in conducting at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Franz Liszt’ in Weimar, Germany. He made his debut at the Sydney Opera House in 2003. In 2012 he was awarded a Green Room Award for Best Conductor of an Opera.

In 2005 Simon was appointed as Kapellmeister and Assistant Music Director to the Hamburg State Opera. He was Principal Conductor of the Stuttgart Opera from 2011 to 2016, and has appeared as a regular guest conductor at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera and Vienna State Opera.

Simon was appointed Principal Conductor of the Hamburg Ballet in 2008, and since then he has appeared with the Hamburg Ballet at the Salzburg Festival, the Spoleto Festival, in the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Moscow and Australia.