Bio:
Simone is a music theatre maker and performer, passionate about work that brings joy, and reflects, respects and affects the world we live in.
As a theatre-maker, recent years saw the release of short film What Do You Hope For? (English National Opera); the premiere of her and Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong’s "wild, witty... painfully perceptive" The Stage and "fierce, fearless and cerebral" The Guardian, Shuck ‘n’ Jive (Soho Theatre); writing the libretto for HAM the Illustrator’s climate action experience Munkination (Royal Opera House); and short tours of her all-singing, all-dancing Il barbiere di Siviglia (Devon Opera) and Hansel and Gretel (East Anglia Opera). Engagements altered due to the pandemic include directing her, Ana Beard Fernández and April Koyejo-Audiger’s cabaret-opera Gracie (Immersive|LDN, OperaVision); La bohème (Devon Opera); and woman.life.song (Edinburgh International Festival). Next, Simone looks forward to directing Whistlestop Opera (Opera North), The Aspern Papers (Pegasus Opera), and a new musical for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; and associate work at Opera North and Glyndebourne.
Recent performance highlights include Grace, Bryony Kimmings’ Opera Mums (BBC Four); Mami Wata (Cairo Opera House, Pegasus Opera, Royal Opera House); Jo, Dead Equal (Summerhall); Passepartout, Around the World in 80 Days (West Green House Opera); and small roles in Porgy & Bess (English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Theater an der Wien). The 2021/22 season includes Wellgunde in an anti-colonial Das Rheingold (Gafa Arts), Bel in satire Bloom Britannia (Barefoot Opera), and Khye-Rell in fashion-opera RUNE (UU Studios); as well as concerts with the African Concert Series, Bishopsgate Institute, Lontano, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Forthcoming highlights later in 2022/23 include Melissa, La liberazione di Ruggiero (Longborough Festival Opera); Amneris, Aida (Opera Festival Scotland); and CDs with Metier and Lontano.
Simone is joint artistic director of Hera with Toria Banks and Linda Hirst, celebrating and sharing music and stories by equity-seeking artists right across the UK. She trained at the University of York and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, recently completing a fellowship on artist-activism. Before training in classical voice, she was an arts administrator and a backing vocalist for Mercury Award-winner Benjamin Clementine.
Simone is honoured to be a BBC Radio 3 Next Generation Voice 2019 and a Women of the Future Awards 2020 winner.
Experience within the Industry:
Specialist:
- Acting through Song /
- Chorus Master/Mistress /
- Composer /
- Director (musicals) /
- Director (plays) /
- Dramaturg /
- Facilitator /
- Lyricist /
- Musical Theatre Performer /
- Script /
- Scriptwriter /
- Singer Musical Theatre /
- Singer Opera /
- Singing /
- Songwriter /
- Writer