Simon has performed in recitals and festivals across northern Italy in Verona, Sirmione, Brescia, Monzambano, and Bienno as well as many UK venues. His favourite venue so far was London’s Royal Albert Hall, where he was a principal tenor in a “Three Tenors Tribute” in 1999 where he shared the stage that night with many top musical theatre stars including the great Howard Keel, Michael Crawford, and Elaine Paige in a gala hosted by Gloria Hunniford.
He has studied singing all his life, starting in a church choir as a child, his first teacher was Soprano, Alice Mikardo founder of Opera South with whom he sang his first opera. Simon has since studied voice with many teachers including Evelyn Dodd and Dame Professor Laura Sarti of the Guildhall School of Music. Simon has played many lead roles in musical theatre and played many of the top venues around the south.
In 2009, after a few years of break, bringing up his two children, he returned to singing, with a goal to do more opera, and so he went to Italy! He has since been regularly commuting to continue his studies with busy Tenor Maestro Marcello Merlini, Bergamo, Milano. in 2013 he formed the successful Fine Voice Academy, a school of music and singing, based at the Portsmouth Guildhall.
Opera is all about telling exciting, larger than life stories in which fantastic and sometimes unbelievable things happen. This also applies to the old Neapolitan songs which Simon Long also sang with genuine tenderness for my Mother’s birthday. Simon Long took centre-stage and thrilled my mother and her guests with several heartfelt arias… Simon has a show-stealing air about him with his grace and animation, and a variety in the voice that contrasts pleasingly with L Pavarotti. My mother said the tenor; ‘sang like Luciano’; and she said Simons Italian pronunciation was particularly good; this is wonderful testimony to Simon as my mother is Italian. She was born in Naples, Italy and grew up listening to the familiar songs of Napoli including ‘O Sole Mio’ and ‘Funiculi Funicula’ as well as ‘Torna a Surriento’.His performance was pleasing both physically and vocally. He sang with gusto and handled La Donna e Moblie, ‘Il Pagliacci’ and Nessun Dorma with extraordinary precision. The music was beautiful, with some really touching moments. My mother and her guests were left singing the last song long into the night.”
Anna – Testimonial