Simone Young
(c) Nic Walker

Australian conductor Simone Young, 64, has renewed her contract as chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra through 2029. She began her tenure in 2022.

Simultaneously, the University of Sydney has awarded her an honorary Doctor of Music degree for exceptional individual achievement and her impact as a world-leading conductor.

Prior to her appointment at the SSO, she was Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Principal Conductor of  the Bergen Philharmonic (2001-2003), artistic director of Opera Australia and the Hamburg State Opera (2005-2015), and artistic and chief music director of the Hamburg Philharmonic.