Simon Capet
Encyclopedia
Simon Capet is an English
conductor
and filmmaker. He notably founded the Victoria Philharmonic Choir
in 2005 and the Euphonia Music Festival in 2006. A graduate of the Vancouver Film School
, his 2000 musical drama film Evirati won him the Telefilm Canada Award for Best Emerging Director of a Short Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival
and the award for Best Short Screenplay at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
.
Born into a family of professional musicians, Capet grew up in London
. At the age of 15 he entered the Royal College of Music
and later attended the Royal Academy of Music
(RAM) on an exhibition scholarship. After graduating from the RAM in 1990, Capet served as music director of multiple ensembles over the next several years, including the Pegasus Ensemble, Battersea Arts Centre Opera, The Middlesex Philharmonic, and the Harrow Symphony Orchestra. In 1995 he was appointed the Music Coordinator and Assistant Conductor for the Vancouver Opera
. He later became the Music Director of the Modern Baroque Opera in Vancourver for three years, winning a Brian McMaster Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera and a Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award for his work with the company.
In 2005 Capet founded the Victoria Philharmonic Choir
(VPC), serving as its principal conductor until 2008 when Peter Butterfield
succeeded him. With the choir he notably organized a re-imagined version of Antonín Dvořák
's The Spectre's Bride which used a new modernized English libretto
by Mollie Kaye, shadow puppets by Emmy Award
winning puppeteer Tim Gosley
, and set designs by Pixar
's Michel Gagne
.
Since leaving the VPC in 2008, Capet has worked as a freelance artist, guest conducting orchestras in North America and Europe. In 2009 he made his Carnegie Hall
debut conducting concerts with The New York Pops
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and filmmaker. He notably founded the Victoria Philharmonic Choir
Victoria Philharmonic Choir
The Victoria Philharmonic Choir is a 60-voice auditioned choir based inVictoria, British Columbia. Conducted by Peter Butterfield, the choir performs a wide range of a cappella and accompanied music, and complements the nationally known Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera VictoriaAn international...
in 2005 and the Euphonia Music Festival in 2006. A graduate of the Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver and comprises six buildings...
, his 2000 musical drama film Evirati won him the Telefilm Canada Award for Best Emerging Director of a Short Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
and the award for Best Short Screenplay at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is a film screening event in various American cities. It was founded in 1993, and its website claims it has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit...
.
Born into a family of professional musicians, Capet grew up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. At the age of 15 he entered the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
and later attended the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
(RAM) on an exhibition scholarship. After graduating from the RAM in 1990, Capet served as music director of multiple ensembles over the next several years, including the Pegasus Ensemble, Battersea Arts Centre Opera, The Middlesex Philharmonic, and the Harrow Symphony Orchestra. In 1995 he was appointed the Music Coordinator and Assistant Conductor for the Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
. He later became the Music Director of the Modern Baroque Opera in Vancourver for three years, winning a Brian McMaster Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera and a Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award for his work with the company.
In 2005 Capet founded the Victoria Philharmonic Choir
Victoria Philharmonic Choir
The Victoria Philharmonic Choir is a 60-voice auditioned choir based inVictoria, British Columbia. Conducted by Peter Butterfield, the choir performs a wide range of a cappella and accompanied music, and complements the nationally known Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera VictoriaAn international...
(VPC), serving as its principal conductor until 2008 when Peter Butterfield
Peter Butterfield
Peter Butterfield is a Canadian conductor and classical tenor. In 2003 he founded the VancouverVoices and since 2009 he has been the director of the Victoria Philharmonic Choir. As a singer he has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America; working primarily as a concert singer since the...
succeeded him. With the choir he notably organized a re-imagined version of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's The Spectre's Bride which used a new modernized English libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Mollie Kaye, shadow puppets by Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning puppeteer Tim Gosley
Tim Gosley
Tim Gosley is a Canadian puppeteer who is primarily known for his work on numerous Muppet productions. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alberta and studied puppeteering with Richard Hunt from 1981-1983. He began his career portraying several minor characters on the...
, and set designs by Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's Michel Gagne
Michel Gagné
Michel Gagné is a Canadian cartoonist.-Film:Gagné studied Classical Animation at Sheridan College and worked for Sullivan Bluth Studios for six years, working on such films as An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Rock-A-Doodle, and A Troll in Central Park...
.
Since leaving the VPC in 2008, Capet has worked as a freelance artist, guest conducting orchestras in North America and Europe. In 2009 he made his Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
debut conducting concerts with The New York Pops
The New York Pops
The New York Pops is the largest independent symphonic pops orchestra in the United States, and the only symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular American music...
.