Simon Lepper
Simon Lepper read music at King’s College Cambridge and studied piano accompaniment with Michael Dussek at the Royal Academy of Music. He has recently been appointed professor of piano accompaniment at the Royal College of Music, London and is also the official accompanist for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize.
Current and future plans include appearances at the Wigmore Hall with Angelika Kirchschlager, Malin Christensson, Lawrence Zazzo, Karen Cargill, Sally Matthews and Carolin Widmann. He will also appear with Angelika Kirschschlager in Leeds and Ghent and give recitals at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam with Sally Matthews and Carolin Widmann and in Paris and Montreal with Malin Christensson. Simon will visit Moscow this season to give a recital with Stephan Genz and Lucy Crow at the 30th anniversary of the International Music Festival ‘December Nights’ in a programme to include lieder by Mendelssohn, Schubert and Schumann.
Recent appearances have included Schumann Dichterliebe and the Schubert song cycles with Mark Padmore throughout the UK; a recital with Angelika Kirschlager at the 2010 Verbier Festival, Switzerland; Schubert Schwanengesang with Christopher Purves at the Howard Assembly Room at Opera North; a theatre project on the madness of Ophelia with Cora Burggraaf at de Doelen, Rotterdam as well as recitals with singers Felicity Palmer, Anna Stephany, Robin Tritschler, Elizabeth Watts, Allan Clayton, Marcus Farnsworth, Nicole Cabell and Stephan Loges.
Recording highlights include Debussy Songs with Gillian Keith on Deux-Elles, Warlock Songs with Andrew Kennedy on Landor Records and Feldman, Zimmerman, Xenakis and Schoenberg with violinist Carolin Widmann on ECM.
As a student, Simon won every major award for piano accompaniment including the Gerald Moore Award as well as the accompanist prizes in the Kathleen Ferrier and Royal Overseas League competitions.