Sydney NSW, Australia
Cello Lessons
Bio
Simon Cobcroft recently took up the position of acting Associate Principal Cello with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He is the Artistic Director of the Coriole Music Festival, and for almost 10 years, served
as Principal Cello with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the critically acclaimed
Lyrebird Trio, familiar to audiences around Australia and further afield, since winning the 2013 Asia
Pacific Chamber Music Competition. Simon studied at the Queensland Conservatorium and the
Australian National Academy of Music. Since graduating, he has held principal positions with the
Queensland Symphony and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras, and has performed with London’s
Philharmonia Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony, Denmark’s Esbjerg Ensemble, the London
Philharmonic Orchestra, and as principal with the Tasmanian and Singapore Symphony Orchestras.
Recent highlights include performances as guest principal cello with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra,
the Australian String Quartet, Tinalley Quartet and with Pinchas Zukerman and friends. He has appeared
as principal and soloist at the Aldeburgh, Pacific and Salzburg Music Festivals. Simon has performed the
cello concertos by Haydn, Elgar, Saint-Saëns and Bruch with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, winning
the 2016 Adelaide Critics’ Circle Award for his performance of the Elgar Concerto. In previous years he
appeared as soloist with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney’s Metropolitan Orchestra, the
Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. Simon studied with Matthew Farrell, Janis
Laurs, Alexander Baillie, David Strange and Michael Goldschlager. He plays on a beautiful English cello
made in 1840 by Thomas Kennedy. In his spare time, he loves to cook.
Teaching Info
In 25 years of teaching cello at all levels, I’ve learned to respond to the individual needs of students, keeping the lessons informal and fun, but also focused and detailed. I put a great emphasis on playing in a relaxed and natural way.
“I could not have been luckier than to have Simon Cobcroft, Principal Cellist of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as my cello teacher at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. He is a truly amazing musician and pedagogue, and the four years I spent studying with him were absolutely critical in becoming the musician that I am today.” Jack Overall, graduate cellist, studying with Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne.
