Simon Rawson

Simon was born and grew up in Yorkshire and started playing the violin aged eleven. He took up the viola a few years later mainly to play string quartets. He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music where he gained the coveted Dip RAM for performance and was awarded the Moir Carnegie Prize for the best string recital.

Whilst at the RAM he was the winner of the Gibson Prize and the Theodore Holland prize for solo viola.

On leaving Music College he joined the English Chamber Orchestra and subsequently freelanced with most of the London orchestras, including the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, City of London Sinfonia, LPO, LSO and Philharmonia. He has been a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since 1988.

Chamber music collaborations with Jaime Laredo, Joseph Swensen, Stephen Isserlis and Imogen Cooper have been a feature over the years.

Simon has been involved in teaching the violin, viola and chamber music for most of his career and has also been involved in coaching with NYOS and at the RSAMD, where he has also been an examiner.

He is married to Catherine Marwood with whom he shared a desk in the SCO for 13 years.

What item can you not live without?

There are 3 things I can't live without.

1. Viola - how could I make a living without this thing?

2. My bible. How could I live my life without this? It's vital for me and everyone else, if only they knew it.

3. My iPhone. Oh dear! Apart from calls, texts and emails, I can listen to music, (it's a iPod of course), podcasts, it's a camera, a GPS system, access to the internet and just about anything you want it to do.

What do I listen to on my iPhone?

My CD collection which is classical, jazz, contemporary, and mostly podcasts of talks given by Bill Johnson, an American pastor. I also have recordings of birdsong which I refer to quite a bit because I enjoy birdwatching. It's great being able to play a recording of the song you're hearing in the wild.