Simon Gunton - Director

 Simon is the creative heartbeat and founder of Beats Learning, and has over 25 years experience as professional musician in many different forms. A Royal College of Music graduate, Simon has worked with all of the country’s major symphony, chamber and opera orchestras. Simon has featured on numerous film soundtracks, recently James Bond: Quantum of Solace, and played with artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Westlife and Mariah Carey.

Simon has led projects and presented concerts for the Royal Opera House, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Spitalfields Festival, British Council and Arts and Business. In this capacity, Simon has worked as an amateur with primary, secondary and university students, hospice patients, autistic children, prisoners, the probation service, homeless and mental health communities.

For the British Council Simon has toured extensively with the brass ensemble The Wallace Collection, leading workshops in Russia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan. Simon was previously musical director of Escape Artists, during which he facilitated, directed and conducted two major productions as part of an extended project with Mental Health Service Users, Cambridge Cantata with Kings College Chapel Cambridge, and The City Wakes, a tribute to Syd Barrett. Simon also has his own brass chamber group ‘The Golden Section’.