Simone Young
- Dicey Topics
- Good Weekend
‘Women can’t conduct, but she’s different’: The backhanded compliment still haunting Simone Young
The internationally lauded musical interpreter and teacher, 64, is the first woman in the history of the role to be chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
- Benjamin Law
Latest
Play it again, Maestro: Simone Young re-signs with the Sydney Symphony
The trailblazing conductor will lead the SSO until the end of 2029.
- Nick Galvin
- ★★★★
- Review
A theatrical fantasia so complete I might have dreamt the whole thing
Our reviewers give their verdict on all the latest shows.
- Shamim Razavi, John Shand, Peter McCallum and Chantal Nguyen
‘Watch this space’: SSO’s first female chief conductor drops major clue on future
Simone Young is launching the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 2026 season as she marks her fourth year as chief conductor.
- Nick Galvin
This work is so massive, the Opera House stage has had to be rebuilt
Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor Simone Young has long had a passion for monumental works.
- Nick Galvin
- ★★★★★
- Review
Love Wagner? See this. Don’t know Wagner? See it anyway.
Our critics look over some of the latest shows around town.
- Peter McCallum and John Shand
Opera House stage to double in size for mammoth new concert
As well as taking on Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder next year, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will perform a work featured in Tar, starring Cate Blanchett.
- Joyce Morgan
- Magazine
- Good Weekend
The January 28 Edition
What does a conductor actually do anyway? Simone Young explains | The Go-Between’s Robert Forster on love, loss and music | Unlocking the mysteries of pain
Yes, maestro: the cult of the conductor
Conductors have entered the zeitgeist with two new films. But what exactly do they do? Australia’s greatest living maestro, Simone Young, tries to explain.
- David Leser
Sydney Opera House lifts curtain on newly renovated Concert Hall
The Sydney Opera House has revealed the $150 million final renovations of its largest performance space, the Concert Hall, which reopens next week.
- Helen Pitt