Simon was born and educated in a small mining village in South Wales and began playing the violin at age 11. He studied conducting and violin at the Birmingham Conservatoire and he spent his early career as a teacher, violinist and chamber musician with the Almira String Quartet. He has since developed a flourishing and versatile career as a conductor, leader, director and educator and has gradually relinquished the bow in favour of the baton. He is now based in the West Midlands and has performed with and conducted orchestras and ensembles both throughout the UK and internationally. Equally at home with both the classical and crossover/pop repertoire, Simon has spent a significant amount of time during the past three years touring as conductor with the internationally renowned classical crossover group ll Divo. His relationship with Il Divo has taken him across six continents, performing with a plethora of international orchestras along the way and conducting in many of the world's iconic concert halls and arenas.