Simon’s biography
Born in Belgium in 2005 into a family of musicians, Simon quickly showed a love for music and the saxophone in particular.
At the age of 7, he began his training at a music academy in Brussels. His exceptional aptitude for the saxophone was quickly recognized by his teachers.
They soon offered him the opportunity to perform in concert, both as a soloist and with orchestra.
At just 14, he was admitted to the Brussels Royal Conservatory in the saxophone class of world-renowned French soloist and teacher Vincent David.
In 2020, at the age of 15, Simon entered the Jazz department of the same conservatory. He is the youngest ever to be admitted.
In parallel with his studies at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, Simon attends the “Centre de Musique Didier Lockwood” (CMDL) in Paris (FR), with saxophonist Stéphane Guillaume.
He also took private lessons in Cologne (DE), with WDR Big Band saxophonists Karolina Strassmayer and Paul Heller.
From an early age, he took part in numerous competitions and concerts: 1st prize at the CeDel competition in Belgium in 2018, 1st prize at the Paris saxophone competition in 2019, Getxo International Jazz Festival, Bozar Brussels, Brosella Jazz Festival, Théâtre Royal du Parc , Leuven Jazz Festival, Dinant Jazz Festival, Music Village, Gent Jazz Festival, and many others,...
He has taken part in numerous jams and concerts, playing with musicians such as Jaleel Shaw, Ben Street, Joe Dyson, Hamilton de Holanda, Alex Koo, Felix Zurstrassen, Antoine Pierre, Géraud Portal, Wajdi Riahi, Jean-Paul Estievenart,...
In 2021, he is selected to perform as a quartet in the final of the "Jeunes Talents Jazz" competition at the Dinant Jazz Festival in Belgium.
In 2022 he won the Leuven Jazz Contest with the same quartet, "Latitude", and was a finalist in the BJazz International Contest at the Gent Jazz Festival.
In 2023, at just 18 years of age, Simon was admitted to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in Jaleel Shaw's studio, and moved to New York to pursue his young and already impressive musical career.
The same year, Simon Comte is the recipient of the Belgian American Educational Foundation Inc (BAEF) Music Scholarship, named "van Itallie" Fellow.
He was also selected to take part in the Keep an Eye Workshop at the Amsterdam Conservatory, working with international musicians such as Seamus Blake, Ben Wendel, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, Lage Lund, Ari Hoenig and Clemens Van Der Feen.
This 2023/2024 season, Simon is working on his first project as a leader and preparing to record his first album.
In February 2025, Simon Comte will be the guest of the world-renowned, Grammy-winning WDR Bigband from Cologne, performing as a soloist with them as part of their "Young Cats" program!
“ I heard Simon Comte for the first time at the Brosella Jazz Festival in Brussels, Belgium and I was totally impressed by his playing. He has a musical maturity and a technical command on the saxophone that is amazing, especially at his age. Simon has already a very strong voice in his playing, a personal sound, while knowing the tradition of jazz, as well as the current ways of playing and I’m very curious how he will develop as an artist in the future to come.”
Paul Heller - Saxophonist, WDR Big Band Cologne
“ Simon is very dedicated and talented young musician. He has a beautiful sound and a very precise control of the basic techniques. We have practiced a lot of new music, and he showed a great sens of the phrasing and flexibility. Since two years he’s dedicating his talent to jazz music and he impressed me very much. With such talent, he can play a lot of different style always with a culture of the sound and phrasing.”
Vincent David - Saxophonist, Pedagogue & Concertist