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The English bass, Simon Grant, was a boy chorister in the famous choir of King's College, Cambridge under Sir David Willcocks and later studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Simon Grant began his varied career as a member of the BBC Singers and then sang with the Swingle Singers for several years. More recently, his rich bass-baritone voice has been much in demand in the fields of Mediaeval, Renaissance and Baroque music. He has a busy concert schedule world-wide, including regular performances in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. In June 2005 he sang the role of Jesus in performances of J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) with the New London Consort conducted by Philip Pickett at the Israel Festival Jerusalem.
Simon Grant sang the role of Caronte in a staged production of Peri’s Orfeo and appeared also in Monteverdi's Orfeo - both performances at the Drottningholms Slottsteater in Stockholm, Blow's Venus and Adonis at the Globe Theatre in London and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas to celebrate 50 years of London’s Royal Festival Hall). He has appeared in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins several times, (with Ute Lemper and Maria Ewingan) as well as Leonard Bernstein's On the Town (with Michael Tilson Thomas) and Candide for BBC Radio 3.
Simon Grant's mastery of extended vocal techniques has led to appearances with contemporary music groups such as Electric Phoenix, Synergy, Ensemble Moderne and the Matrix Ensemble. He can provide a simultaneous rhythm and bass line vocally and can whistle and sing at the same time, an unusual talent he has demonstrated in concert halls and on television world-wide. His voice is featured on many film soundtracks, notably Simon: An English Legionnaire and the soon to be released blockbuster Troy. His whistling can be heard on the soundtracks of the films Shrek and Shiner!
Simon Grant's many solo recordings include Monteverdi’s Vespers 1610 with Philip Pickett, J.S. Bach's Magnificat with Andrew Parrott, Blow’s Venus and Adonis, Locke’s Psyche, and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (Caronte), works by Charpentier and others. |
