Printemps avec Sir Simon Rattle
19 - 30 Avril 2026

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It is always a special occasion for the COE to work with Honorary Member Sir Simon Rattle, with whom we worked for the first time at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving two concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie with Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang to a much reduced audience when the restrictions had slightly eased, in October 2020. It was a very emotional time for the COE musicians who had not had the opportunity to play together since February that year. They were also unsure when they would be able to play again after these concerts. The Orchestra had been trying to work with Sir Simon for years but somehow dates could never align. This first meeting was a rare ray of sunshine for everyone involved, in the midst of the global gloom, and the COE made a strong impression on Sir Simon. The feeling was mutual with him saying he had “fallen in love” with the Orchestra.

Since then, we have been enjoying a number of projects with Sir Simon, undertaking several European tours with him and his wife Magdalena Kožená in 2022 and 2024. This April, we will be performing Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Busoni’s Sarabande from Dr Faust and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 at major European venues: the Berlin (22 April), Essen (23 April) and Cologne Philharmonies (25 April), Hamburg’s ElbPhilharmonie (26 April) and Frankfurt’s Alte Oper (28 April).

Sir Simon Rattle was born in Liverpool and studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He is Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra. He is a Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a Founding Patron of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, which he established during his 18-year tenure as Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1980 to 1998. He is Honorary Member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He was Principal Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker from 2002 to 2018. In 2024 Sir Simon was announced as the Principal Guest Conductor, Rafael Kubelik Chair, of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sir Simon regularly tours within Europe, the United States and Asia, and has longstanding relationships with the world’s leading orchestras. He regularly conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin, Berliner Philharmoniker, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Czech Philharmonic. Recent operatic highlights include Der Rosenkavalier at The Metropolitan Opera Company, Janáček’s Kat’a Kabanovà at the Staatsoper Berlin, as well as Tristan und Isolde and Wozzeck with the London Symphony Orchestra at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Music Education is of supreme importance to Sir Simon. During his tenure as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, he announced the creation of the LSO East London Academy. The free programme aims to identify and develop the musical potential of young East Londoners. While Principal Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, he made ground breaking changes to the orchestra’s outreach and educational programmes, earning him numerous international awards.

Sir Simon was awarded a knighthood by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and received the Order of Merit in 2014. He received the Order of Merit in Berlin in 2018; and in 2019 was given the Freedom of the City of London. In 2025 he was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Prize in Munich.

Full biography on Askonas Holt’s website.