Oslo Philharmonic Appoints New Choral Director and Artistic Advisor 

Simon Halsey will be assuming both positions for the next five years

Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic has welcomed the three-time GRAMMY Award-winning conductor Simon Halsey as its Artistic Advisor, effective immediately. 

As Choral Director, Halsey succeeds Øystein Fevang, who led the Oslo Philharmonic Choir for almost two decades. 

Halsey’s first project as Choral Director will be in September 2025 in a performance of Duruflé’s Requiem and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, which will be led by Chief Conductor Klaus Mäkelä. 

More scheduled concerts for the 2025/26 season include a sing-along performance of the Mozart Requiem in March 2026, for which choirs from across Europe will be invited to perform.

The trusted advisor for many world-leading conductors, orchestras, and choruses, Halsey completed his conducting studies at the Royal College of Music in London and sang in the choirs of New College, Oxford, and King’s College, Cambridge. 

In 1982, he was invited by Sir Simon Rattle to take over the direction of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus. In 1987, Halsey founded the City of Birmingham Touring Opera with Graham Vick. 

Later on, he was appointed principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir, and from 2001 to 2015, he led the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Additionally, he served as artistic director of Berlin Philharmonic’s Vocal Heroes youth choral program and creative director of the WDR Rundfunkchor.  

Now the Choral Director Emeritus of the London Symphony Orchestra, he has led the London Symphony Chorus and served as director of the BBC Proms Youth Choir from 2012. From the 2016/17 season, he began leading the Orfeó Català choir and served in the associated position of artistic adviser at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana. 

Additionally, Halsey is a professor at the University of Birmingham and a guest lecturer at Princeton and Yale, among other institutions. His many awards include the Queen’s Medal for Music, Commander of the British Empire, and the German Federal Cross of Merit.

Also the recipient of four honorary doctorates from universities in the UK, Halsey’s book and DVD on choral conducting was published by Schott Music in 2011. 

­­­­“I feel very privileged to be a part of the Oslo Philharmonic and its brilliant artistic team led by Klaus Mäkelä, and to take responsibility for the excellent choir,” Halsey said in the press release. “Norway strikes me as an exciting and motivated cultural nation, which inspires me! I hope that my many years of experience will enable me to contribute to the continued success story of the Oslo Philharmonic, its enthusiastic musicians and the important and vibrant choral and music life, both in the city and the country at large.”­­­­

“I feel personally honored and grateful that Simon Halsey has accepted our invitation to be Choral Director and Artistic Advisor to the Oslo Philharmonic,” Mäkelä expressed. “He is an incredibly inspiring musician who has raised choral singing to a whole new level.”­­­­ ­­­­

“Simon is the most influential choral conductor of our time,” added Knut Skansen, Managing Director of the Oslo Philharmonic. “His broad experience and strong commitment to both artistic development and projects that promote diversity and community, give us a unique opportunity to further develop the Oslo Philharmonic Choir and the Oslo Philharmonic’s activities. I would also like to thank Øystein Fevang for his outstanding contribution in leading the Oslo Philharmonic Choir for 19 seasons. His work has been invaluable to the choir’s development, and has created a solid foundation for further development.”