Nicholas Simpson was born in Manchester. He read law at Nottingham University, and played guitar in rock bands before studying for four years with John Tavener at Trinity College of Music in London, where he won the Chappell Prize for composition and the Ricordi Prize for conducting (twice). In the 1990s Simpson practised as a criminal lawyer in London, but quit to be a professional musician on moving back to Manchester in 1998. His music has been widely played in Europe and the USA. His output includes three symphonies, a piano concerto, chamber music, an oratorio and Quarantine, an opera based on Jim Crace’s 1995 Booker-shortlisted novel of the same name. Recent projects include Remembered Music, a CD with the Zelkova Quartet and the soprano Charlotte Trepess.
Nick Simpson is Music Director of the Halifax Symphony Orchestra in West Yorkshire, the Athenean Ensemble in Manchester and Associate Conductor of the Huddersfield Philharmonic. His second album as a singer/songwriter, Ladder to the Stars, was released on
Subtopia Records in Autumn 2022.