Simon Tong is an Essex born trumpet player living and working in London. He graduated from the Royal Academy of music in 2009 with both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in performance.
Simon’s early playing experience was with brass and wind bands near his home town of Hockley. Aged 14, Simon was given a place in the National Youth Brass band of Great Britain (NYBBGB), where he attended 9 courses finishing as Co-Principal.
It was in Simon’s final years in the NYBBGB that he started to have an interest in orchestral trumpet playing and auditioned for a place at music college. He was given a full scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of music on the 4 year Bmus course. During his time at the Academy, he studied with James Watson, Mark David, Rod Franks, Bob Farley & Howard Snell, learning not only orchestral trumpet but natural trumpet and cornett with Bob.
During Simon’s time at the Academy he won the John Soloman Prize for Brass & Woodwind and played first trumpet for many of the ensembles and orchestras including the Concert Orchestra and Opera. Outside the Academy he has been involved in various contrasting events, from performing at the London Handel Festival to being recorded for a McDonald’s TV advert.
