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Simone Young will lead the Sydney Symphony Orchestra until the end of 2029 after the celebrated conductor signed a contract for a further three years.
Young was appointed Chief Conductor of the SSO in 2022, initially for a three-year term, which was then extended by two years. She is the first woman to hold the position.
Staying on: Simone Young with principal double bass Kees Boersma and principal oboe Shefali Pryor.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Continuing with her home city’s orchestra “just makes sense”, she said.
“We’re having such an amazing time together. The warmth doesn’t seem to be fading – the reception is getting stronger, if anything. I think the orchestra’s probably in its best form, and with so much more ahead of us, it would be silly to stop at this point.
“One of the happiest and most fulfilling places for me on this planet is standing on the podium in front of the Sydney Symphony.”
Next year, Young will conduct Götterdämmerung, marking the conclusion of her monumental project to perform all four parts of Wagner’s Ring Cycle over four years.
“I think a lot of people thought, well maybe next year it’s the end of her time and the end of the Ring Cycle,” she said. “But there’s so much more we can do together and there are important things coming up.”
Simone Young in her “happy place” conducting the SSO.
Major events on the horizon include the 200th anniversary of the death of Beethoven in 2027. And while Young wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, she hinted celebrations may include performances of all nine of the German master’s symphonies.
Young also floated the idea of taking the orchestra to Europe.
“We would love to do a European tour,” she said. “It’s a number of years now since the orchestra went to Europe. And I think that is something we should definitely do together.”
The start of Young’s tenure as chief conductor coincided with the reopening of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, which she chose to celebrate with a performance of Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 2.
“We would love to do a European tour. It’s a number of years now since the orchestra went to Europe.”
Simone Young“The Mahler performance was a landmark event which has set the tone of her tenure ever since,” said Sydney Morning Herald chief classical music critic Peter McCallum.
“Although Young’s repertoire is wide-ranging, the pillars of her seasons with the SSO have been large-scale Romantic and post-Romantic Austro-German works of the late 19th and early 20th century – Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler, Strauss and early Schoenberg.
“Notable highlights have included Mahler’s first, third and fifth symphonies, Bruckner’s eighth, Schoenberg’s epic Gurrelieder and, of course, her annual, superbly cast concert performances of the four operas of Wagner’s Ring.
“These have drawn large and wildly enthusiastic crowds and have created a sense of occasion around the thrilling experience of a well-balanced, finely directed orchestra playing as well as it ever has.”
And in what is turning out to be a big week for Young, on Friday, she will be awarded an honoury doctorate by the University of Sydney.
“To receive an honorary doctorate from my alma mater is very, very special,” she said.
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