Simon Gledhill was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1965 and showed a keen interest in music from an early age.He began learning to play the accordion shortly before his sixth birthday and continued with that instrument for eleven years, winning several competitions along the way. When he was ten, his parents purchased a small electronic organ. After initially teaching himself to play it, he commenced formal studies with a local teacher, Michael Woodhead, who gave him extensive tuition in classical organ and piano. In 1982 he entered and won the Northern Young Theatre Organist of the Year competition. Nigel Ogden, presenter of BBC Radio 2's 'The Organist Entertains', was in the audience and invited him to make some recordings for the programme on the (then) BBC theatre organ at the Playhouse Studio in Manchester. Simon has performed at all the major theatre organ venues in Britain, as well as touring in Germany, Holland, Australia and the USA. In America, he has played at such prestigious venues as the Chicago Theatre, the Oakland Paramount Theatre and Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Simon's music has won high praise from such people as Lyn Larsen, one of America's leading theatre organists, and Nigel Ogden, who said: "Here is someone who was born to be a theatre organist. His ability has rightfully earned him the genuine admiration of both audiences and colleagues alike." He combines his concert and recording activities with work for the Cinema Organ Society and a full-time career in corporate banking, based in London. Simon has made many fine recordings on some of the world's most famous theatre organs. |
