I have worked with Simon since the 1990s. He is very patient with me. When I write for soprano saxophone I always have the sound that Simon creates in my head. It’s a beautiful thing. He has recorded my works Gate, Hard Fairy, Passing, Glass and many others. Simon has performed with my own ensemble since its inception.
Simon Haram is the Principal Saxophonist of the London Sinfonietta and a member of the Graham Fitkin Band. He plays regularly with all the London orchestras and has appeared as a soloist all over the world. He also plays ewi and synths with the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble. Currently he is Professor of Saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music. He was Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall for over 10 years, was Visiting Professor of Saxophone at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, and has given masterclasses at the Royal College of Music and the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.
As a soloist, Simon has appeared with the London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Of St John’s, Soloists of the Royal Opera House, East Of England Orchestra, Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
As well as his instrumental work, he runs Silent Age Sound, a recording and post-production facility and has worked with a wide variety of groups and artists including Richard Rodney Bennett, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Nash Ensemble.
I wrote ‘Braemar’ for Simon as the opening piece for the new Braemar Music Festival in 2018. I wanted him to play it outside from the top of the St Maragaret’s church tower as asort of ‘call’ to the town. You could hear it all over the village and the echo coming back from the hills.
Spill was composed for Ruth and Simon in 2013. It went on to Simon’s Mono Dia album along with performancres of work by John Adams and Tõnu Kõrvits. It starts in a very fragmented way, occasional saxophone tones floating over the slow harp beat. It doesn’t do a lot, but they work together beautifully to make a lovely arc of tension.
