Simon Gidora

Simon Gidora is a British Columbia-born violinist, singer, pianist, and conductor.

Simon is a recent graduate of the Artist Diploma program in Voice Performance at the Glenn Gould School (GGS) of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto under the tutelage of Welsh Baritone Jason Howard. As an opera singer, Simon made his debut as the Steward in GGS’s acclaimed 2023 production of Jonathan Dove’s Flight. While at GGS, he performed in masterclasses for Edith Wiens, Ema Nikolovska, and Warren Jones.

Previously, he obtained a BMus in Violin Performance under Axel Strauss with a minor in Orchestral Conducting from McGill University. Before that, he spent time at Mount Royal University as part of the APP (Advanced Performance Program) studying violin and voice.

His previous violin teachers include Bill van der Sloot, David Gillham, Mary Sokol-Brown, and Kathleen Hovey. Previous voice teachers include John Mac Master, Winston Noren, Alan Corbishley, and Shelley Dillon. He studied piano with Patricia Greenfield and Julie Rutter.

Simon remains passionate about music making in all forms. He is particularly interested in chamber music and art song repertoire, where he feels the more intimate recital setting allows the music to be fully experienced and appreciated.

Simon is also an active music teacher of voice, violin, piano and music theory. He believes that learning is a superpower, and that everyone, no matter their age, can benefit immensely from finding their own natural, uninhibited artistic voice. He has been teaching privately for 10 years, and recently spent two years as a faculty member of the Musical Arts Academy in Etobicoke, Ontario.

He has recently returned to the Sunshine Coast, having grown up studying music here, performing in the SCFPA, and taking in as many Coast Recital Society concerts as he could. He is thrilled to be back in the community, where he is also now fiddle instructor for the Coast String Fiddlers.

Outside of music, Simon loves to spend as much time as possible outdoors, where he finds the natural world provides endless artistic inspiration. He also enjoys cooking for friends and family, foraging wild mushrooms, daily musical improvisations with his partner Isabella, and doing Qigong.