Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle, born on 19 January 1955 in Liverpool, is a British conductor. His father was a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II, and his mother was Pauline Lila Violet Rattle. He attended Liverpool College and learned piano and violin, but his first orchestral experience came as a percussionist with the Merseyside Youth Orchestra. In 1971, he entered the Royal Academy of Music, studying under John Carewe, and won the John Player International Conducting Competition in his graduation year of 1974. While still at the academy, he organised and conducted a performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony, which caught the attention of agent Martin Campbell-White, who has managed his career ever since. He spent the 1980–81 academic year studying English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford, attracted by tutor Dorothy Bednarowska, and became an Honorary Fellow of the college in 1991. He received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Oxford in 1999.

In 1974, Rattle became assistant conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. At age 20, in 1975, he joined the music staff at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where over the next 28 years he conducted more than 200 performances of 13 different operas. His first Proms appearance was on 9 August 1976, conducting the London Sinfonietta in a programme including works by Harrison Birtwistle and Arnold Schoenberg. In 1977, he became assistant conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

Rattle’s tenure with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) from 1980 to 1998 brought him widespread attention. He started as principal conductor and artistic adviser in 1980, becoming music director in 1990. He raised the orchestra’s profile, notably through a series of 20th-century concerts called “Towards the Millennium.” A major achievement was the CBSO’s move from Birmingham Town Hall to the newly built Symphony Hall in 1991. A BBC documentary, *Simon Rattle—Moving On*, followed his final year with the orchestra. He was appointed a CBE in 1987 and knighted in 1994. In 1992, he became a principal guest conductor of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), alongside Frans Brüggen, and now holds the title of Principal Artist with that ensemble. In 2001, he conducted the OAE at Glyndebourne in their first period-instrument production of *Fidelio*.

Rattle was a strong advocate for youth music. He twice attempted to set the record for the World’s Largest Orchestra to raise awareness for school music programmes: the first attempt in 1996 failed, but the second in 1998 succeeded, with nearly 4,000 musicians, a record that stood until 2000. He received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal in 2000. From April to May 2002, he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in live recordings of all Beethoven symphonies. He became an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Arts in 2006, received an honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music in 2011, and was appointed to the Order of Merit in the 2014 New Year Honours. He conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, performing “Chariots of Fire” with Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean.

Rattle first conducted the Berlin Philharmonic in 1987, performing Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. In 1999, the orchestra’s members voted him as successor to Claudio Abbado, a decision that sparked some controversy as Daniel Barenboim had been a preferred candidate. Rattle won over critics by refusing to sign his contract until all orchestra members received fair pay and the orchestra gained artistic independence from the Berlin Senate. Before and after moving to Germany, he publicly criticised British attitudes to culture, the Britart movement, and UK state funding of the arts. He restructured the Berlin Philharmonic into a foundation. He served as principal conductor from 2002 to 2018, then became music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023. Since September 2023, he has been chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is also patron of the Birmingham Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, which was established during his CBSO years in the mid-1990s and is now run by the charity Services for Education. In 2001, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Classic Brit Awards.