Australia's Queensland Youth Orchestra Announces New Music Director

The Queensland Youth Symphony has announced the appointment of Australian conductor Simon Hewett as its new Chief Conductor

The Queensland Youth Symphony in Brisbane, Australia, has this week announced the appointment of Australian conductor Simon Hewett as its new Chief Conductor – effective from January of 2021.

A graduate of the Franz Liszt University of Music and the University of Queensland, Simon currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Stuttgart Opera and the Hamburg Ballet.

He will succeed conductor John Curro in the role - who passed away in November of last year.

“I am excited to be returning to my roots in Brisbane and working with the talented young musicians of QYO ..." Simon has this week said.

"After the passing of John Curro in 2019 and the tremendous upheavals of 2020 due to COVID-19 I look forward to a period of renewal in 2021 - bringing together our musicians and our audiences, rediscovering the joy and inspiration of young people making music together ..." the 44-year-old has said.

Previous alumni of the orchestra include VC Artist Ray Chen - and TwoSet Violin's Brett Yang and Eddy Chen.