BIOGRAPHY

Simon Charette is a sought-after conductor, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach based in Washington, DC. Passionate about opera from an early age, Simon is the founder and artistic director of the Opéra Comique de Washington, an opera company specializing in French operetta.

Recently, he has worked with the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (Montréal), the National Music Festival Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and l'Orchestre de la Francophonie (Montréal).

In 2022, he was named Artistic Director of the newly founded French Choir of Washington. Simon is also the Artistic Director of the Choir of the Embassy of France in Washington. He conducted this ensemble for French President Emmanuel Macron's address in Washington, DC, in 2018 and 2022.

Simon worked as assistant conductor and pianist for the Washington Opera Society. He also served as assistant conductor of the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis, MD, and of the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and Chorus.

After receiving a Master’s degree from the Université de Montréal, he furthered his training at the Dirigierakademie (Toronto, Canada), at the National Music Festival (Chestertown, MD), and the Académie Musicale de Villecroze (France).