Richard Simoneau, Principal Trumpet

Principal Trumpet with Symphony Nova Scotia since 1996, Richard Simoneau has become well-known as a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia audiences.

Richard was born in 1970 in Quebec City, and began playing trumpet at age thirteen in high school. He pursued his studies at the Quebec and then Montreal Conservatories, graduating in May 1994. That summer, he auditioned with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and won a one-year contract to play third and assistant principal with his former teacher, Jean-Louis Chatel. The next year he played principal trumpet with the Hamilton Philharmonic and the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, before moving to his current position with Symphony Nova Scotia.

In 1999, Richard was artist-in-residence at the Scotia Festival of Music.

Q&A with Richard

How long have you played the trumpet?
I've played since I was 13.

What made you start playing the trumpet?
The sound of the trumpet totally captivated me when I went to see the movie Star Wars in 1977 (even though I was only seven!). The fact that I listened a lot to the soundtracks from those movies growing up made for an easy choice, since the trumpet is an instrument that’s very prominent in this style of music.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would you like to do?
If I wasn't a musician, I would like to be a pilot.

What are your outside interests?
I love camping and hiking.

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