Conductor
Guy Simpson has worked as a conductor, orchestrator, musical director and musical supervisor for 47 years. He conducted the original performances of Defying Gravity ten years ago and returns to conduct it in Cologne.
Guy has been involved with The Phantom of the Opera for 36 years, conducting or supervising productions in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea. He opens the musical's 40th anniversary celebrations with a new production on Sydney Harbour. He also conducted Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom, in the Australian production filmed and released worldwide on DVD.
He has been involved with Miss Saigon for 35 years and recently served as Musical Supervisor of its Asian tour, having conducted or supervised productions in Australia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, South Korea, the Netherlands and Japan.
His Sondheim credits include Into the Woods, which he supervised and orchestrated for a new production in Sydney, as well as Company, Follies, Passion, Putting It Together and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the last starring Geoffrey Rush.
For Opera Australia he was Musical Director and Supervisor of Evita (starring Tina Arena) and the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady (directed by Julie Andrews), and Musical Supervisor of Cinderella. He has also conducted the company's open-air summer productions, played on a purpose-built floating stage on Sydney Harbour with the city skyline behind them: The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story and Guys and Dolls.
Recent concert work includes Carousel in Concert, Do You Hear the People Sing? — a programme of the songs of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, on its Australian tour — and Becoming Eliza, the solo show of Anna O'Byrne, who sang Christine in Love Never Dies, at the Sydney Opera House and on tour.
Other titles include Cats (Australia, New Zealand), Chicago (Australia, Hong Kong), We Will Rock You – the Queen Musical (Australia, Japan), Les Misérables, Cabaret, Gypsy, Little Shop of Horrors, Tell Me on a Sunday, Muriel's Wedding the Musical, based on the film, Dream Lover, the Bobby Darin musical, and Prima Donna, the opera by Rufus Wainwright.
As a producer of cast recordings he has produced two albums of The Phantom of the Opera in Korea, and Muriel's Wedding and Dream Lover for Sony.
9 & 10 October 2026 · Kölner Philharmonie
An evening celebrating the extraordinary songs of Stephen Schwartz