Paul Simmonds (4)

Paul Simmonds (b. 1949, London, UK) is a British organist, harpsichordist, and clavichordist, a distinguished collector of historical instruments who has lived and worked in Switzerland since 2008. He served as an organist at Stadtkirche St. Mauritius, the oldest Roman Catholic church in Zofingen, between 2011 and 2021. Simmonds grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, taking his first organ lessons with Dirk Meerkotter. Paul graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1972 with his Bachelor's degree, after studying organ with Geoffrey Chew and Stefanus Zondagh. Around the same time, Paul played double bass with the SABC Youth Orchestra and took his first harpsichord lessons with Gabriele Duve. Paul Simmonds spent a few years performing and recording with various folk ensembles, developing a strong interest in traditional African music and subsequently tutored by Andrew Tracey, founder and director of the International Library of African Music. Around the same time, he undertook further harpsichord studies with Stanislav Heller in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany. In 1974, Paul Simmonds moved to Brighton, England. Over the next five years, he took harpsichord lessons and masterclasses with Colin Tilney, Kenneth Gilbert, Christopher Hogwood, and Gustav Leonhardt. Between 1977 and 1982, he taught harpsichord at the University Of Sussex, before relocating to Basel, Switzerland. In 1987, Simmonds founded Trio Basiliensis with his wife, recorder player Marianne Mezger, and German gambist Ekkehard Weber. In 1990, he returned to England. Between 2004 and 2008, Paul Simmonds served as the harpsichord technician and tuner for Glyndebourne Opera, before once again relocating to Switzerland.