Simon Farintosh

Simon Farintosh is an award-winning guitarist, composer, and educator based in Victoria, British Columbia. Named one of CBC’s ‘30 Under 30 Classical Musicians’ in 2023, he is known for his unconventional programming choices, connecting with audiences by integrating the classical guitar with more contemporary musical forms such as ambient electronica. His debut album Noctuary (2023) features an extended original composition for solo eight-string guitar. Amassing over 2 million streams on Spotify, his first EP Aphex Twin for Guitar (2021) comprises of his own transcriptions of pieces by British electronic artist Richard D. James, fusing two seemingly disparate types of music. His second EP Seascapes (2021) consists of original compositions inspired by the captivating landscape of the Pacific Northwest, combining solo guitar with atmospheric synth textures. Many of Simon’s arrangements and compositions are published by Les Productions d'Oz, Bergmann Edition and Musicnotes.com. Simon began his guitar studies in 2004 at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Stephen Lochbaum, Bradford Werner, and esteemed Romero protege Dr. Alexander Dunn. Simon continued to study with Dr. Dunn at the University of Victoria, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in 2018. Simon's musical pursuits later took him to Milwaukee, WI, where he completed a Master's Degree at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2020. Here, he was a student and teaching assistant to Rene Izquierdo, a renowned Cuban virtuoso and revered pedagogue. Currently, Simon is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto, where he is a student of Jorge Caballero and Dr. Jeffrey McFadden. Simon has also studied the Alexander Technique with Nancy Sicsic at U of T. Simon's performances have garnered him top awards in various national and international competitions. He was the 1st Prize winner of the 2018 Northwest Guitar Festival in Spokane, WA, a 1st Prize winner in the 2020 Quebec International Music Competition, the 2nd Prize recipient in the 2015 Canadian National Music Festival in Edmonton, AB, and has been a finalist in worldwide virtual competitions such as the 2020 GuitarLab International Competition and the 2020 Wilson Center Guitar Competition. As a composer, he was recently awarded First Prize in the 2022 Ottawa Guitar Society Composition Competition for his original piece 'Distant Light.' He is a six-time recipient of the British Columbia Arts Council Award, and has been a featured performer for organizations such as the Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival, Victoria Conservatory of Music Summer Guitar Intensive, The Classical Guitar Society of Tri-Cities, Madison Classical Guitar Society, Victoria Guitar Society, Ottawa Guitar Society, Guitar Society of Toronto, and Higher Ground Music Festival. Simon was recently appointed as sessional guitar instructor at The University of Victoria, where he will begin teaching in Fall 2024. He is also the owner and operator of ReVamp Guitar Academy. His students regularly receive top prizes in local and provincial music competitions, as well as excellent scores on RCM examinations. Simon plays a 6-string double top guitar by Glenn Canin and an 8-string guitar by Jeff Sigurdson.