Gwilym Simcock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gwilym Simcock
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| Background information | |
| Born | 24 February 1981 Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
Gwilym Simcock, born on February 24, 1981, is a talented musician from Wales. He plays the piano and writes music. He works in two main styles: jazz and classical music. In 2009, a newspaper called the Evening Standard named him one of the 1000 most important people in London. He even appeared on the cover of Jazzwise magazine in 2007!
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Gwilym Simcock was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. He showed amazing musical talent from a young age. When he was just eleven, Gwilym got the best scores in the whole country for his piano and French horn exams.
He went to Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. There, he studied classical piano, French horn, and how to compose music. At Chetham's, he discovered jazz thanks to his teachers, Les Chisnall and Steve Berry.
Later, he studied jazz piano at The Royal Academy of Music in London. He learned from famous jazz musicians like John Taylor. Gwilym graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and won a special award called the "Principal's Prize" for being an outstanding student.
A Career in Music
Gwilym Simcock has had an exciting career in music. He was the first jazz musician to be chosen for the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme in 2006. This program helped him perform on BBC Radio 3, both alone and with his trio.
Performing at The Proms
In 2008, Gwilym was asked to perform at The Proms, a very famous music festival in London. He wrote a special piano piece called "Progressions." He performed this piece with his trio and the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. This amazing concert was shown live on BBC Two television.
Playing with Different Groups
Gwilym's main group is his trio, which includes James Maddren on drums and Yuri Goloubev on bass. They have played at big festivals all over the world, like the North Sea Jazz Festival. His first album featured other great musicians too.
He was also chosen by the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea to perform a solo concert. This concert was recorded live and shared widely in Germany.
Gwilym has been a member of several other groups, including Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio and Bill Bruford's Earthworks. He has played with many famous musicians like Dave Holland, Lee Konitz, and Bobby McFerrin. He is also one of the founding members of a group called The Impossible Gentlemen.
Playing the French Horn
Besides the piano, Gwilym also plays the French horn. He has performed with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) and the BBC Big Band. He even toured with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny in a quartet.
Award-Nominated Album
In 2011, Gwilym's album Good Days At Schloss Elmau was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This is a very important award for music in the UK.
Special Music Projects
Gwilym Simcock has been asked to create and perform music for many special projects.
- He wrote and performed his piano concerto "Progressions" with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Proms 2008.
- He created new music for the Aronowitz Ensemble at the City of London Festival in 2008.
- He composed a piano concerto for a big band in Germany, called the NDR Big Band. This piece was named Hamburg Suite.
- He led a Big Band project at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in 2007, which was broadcast on BBC Radio.
- He toured with The Scottish Ensemble (a Chamber Orchestra) in 2007, and their performances were broadcast on BBC Radio.
- He performed as a guest soloist with the London Sinfonietta when the Southbank Centre reopened in 2007.
- He wrote a piece called Jackie's Dance for the Britten Sinfonia, which was first performed at the London Jazz Festival in 2007.
- He performed a new French Horn Sonata at the Wigmore Hall with French horn player Chris Parkes.
- He performed Tim Garland's piano concerto with the Northern Sinfonia in 2005.
- He toured cathedrals with Acoustic Triangle and Sacconi Strings in 2008, with support from the Arts Council England.
- He has performed with the finalists of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Jazz Award in 2014 and 2016.
Awards and Recognitions
Gwilym Simcock has won several awards for his musical talent:
- Winner of the Perrier Award in 2001 for Young Jazz Ensemble.
- Winner of the BBC Jazz Award in 2005 for Rising Star.
- Winner of the British Jazz Award in 2005 for Rising Star.
- He was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2006 to 2008.
Music Albums
Gwilym Simcock has released many albums, both as the main artist and as a supporting musician.
As the Main Artist
- Perception (2007)
- Blues Vignette (2009)
- Good Days At Schloss Elmau (2011)
- Instrumation (2014)
- Reverie at Schloss Elmau with Yuri Goloubev (2014)
- Birdsong with Kizzy Crawford (2018)
- Near and Now (2019)
As a Supporting Musician
- Catalyst - Acoustic Triangle (2003)
- Close to You - Kathleen Willison (2004)
- Resonance - Acoustic Triangle (2005)
- If the Sea Replied - Tim Garland (2005)
- Take Me Home - Kaz Simmons (2005)
- Heart Luggage - Klaus Gesing (2006)
- Sax of Gold - Sax Assault (2007)
- Traces - Dan Stern (2007)
- Due North - Tim Garland (2007)
- Reverence - Spike Wells (2007)
- Video Anthology Vol. 1: 2000's - Bill Bruford's Earthworks (2007)
- SGS Group Inc. Presents - Simcock/Goloubev/Sirkis (2008)
- Give It One - London Horn Sound (2008)
- Smoke and Mirrors - Tom Richards Orchestra (2008)
- 3 Dimensions - Acoustic Triangle (2008)
- Finally Beginning - John Warren (2008)
- Bimbache Jazz & Raíces, La Condición Humana (2008)
- Howeird - Sam Crockatt Quartet (2009)
- Metafore Semplici - Yuri Goloubev (2009)
- Libra - Tim Garland (2009)
- Following On - John Warren (2009)
- Momenta - Julian Arguelles (2009)
- The Impossible Gentlemen - The Impossible Gentlemen (2011)
- Internationally Recognised Aliens - The Impossible Gentlemen (2013)
- Let's Get Deluxe - The Impossible Gentlemen (2016)
- From This Place - Pat Metheny (2020)
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Gwilym Simcock, a talented Welsh pianist and composer.
