Welcome
"Each of the Draper chapters brings with it an inescapable magnetism. Simonne Draper’s music is like looking at effervescent Faience pottery, glazed in true blue and white porcelain, signifying saturated brightness and clarity. Sound quality is unblemished. Guitar purists will find this recording hard to resist. Strongly recommended."
Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet [August 2019]
Simonne Draper is a Czech acoustic-classical music composer and guitarist with a strong connection to England due to her English family. She is a member of the CZECH COMPOSERS SOCIETY and a voting member of THE RECORDING ACADEMY™ for the GRAMMY® Awards. After dedicating a significant part of her life to studying law, she made a decisive turn to pursue her true passion - classical and orchestral music composition. She is classically trained in Spanish guitar, having started learning to play the guitar at an early age, and later studied with the renowned classical guitar composer Milan Tesař at the Conservatoire in Prague. During her music studies, Simonne performed in collaboration with other guitarists in Prague churches and local concert halls. In 2019, her debut album, "Portraits In Guitar," was released under the record label MSR Classics in the USA. The album received positive acclaim from publications such as Fanfare, American Record Guide, and Concertonet, among others, and gained airplay on hundreds of radio stations across the globe, including BBC Radio Kent, Radio Six International, and Classic Praha FM. Music from that album has also been featured on various established radio shows such as the "Mike Rogers Show" and "Lively Lounge with Tony Currie." As an active classical guitar player, she also collaborates with various award-winning artists who present her music at concert venues and festivals. Her first remix, titled "Eclipse/Jon Kennedy Remix," done in collaboration with Jon Kennedy, was submitted for the 66th Grammy Awards® in the category 'Best Remixed Recording' and later appeared on a compilation called "66th FYC" album by various artists, released by Bongo Boy Records. She continues to collaborate with Bongo Boy Records on her new music. The compilation albums titled "Escape the Mind" and "Volume XXIII" were released in May 2024. Her new solo album, titled "Silence of Eclipse," was released in June 2024.
Music from the album "Portraits in Guitar" featured on following radio stations:
The album "Portraits in Guitar" released by MSR Classics in 2019
The album "Silence of Eclipse" released by Bongo Boy Records in 2024
"What an absolutely beautiful piece of music....... a truly cross-European fusion of brilliance."
Leo Ulph, BBC Radio Kent [Spring 2022]
"Beautiful piece of music.....hope to receive more beautiful music like that!"
Mark Eckel, OZ Radio Gold [Spring 2023]
"[Draper's] works are well-balanced between the solo guitar and electronic orchestra, showcase the many extended techniques of the guitar, and very enjoyable."
Pan Pipes [Winter 2020]
“[Draper’s playing] has a full, sonorous tone and the phrases are shaped more like a classical player than a pop musician..."
Smith, American Record Guide [January/February 2020]
"Portraits in Guitar...is smooth and very easy to like... do yourself a favor by spending time with a composer-performer whose musical talents make me glad that she did not pursue law further. The world needs more beauty like this; it does not need more lawyers!"
Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare [November/December 2019]
"The ten pieces heard here are direct in their appeal and often hauntingly beautiful and evocative... you will probably want to encore the entire program!"
Phil Muse, Atlanta Audio Club [September 2019]
"Each of the Draper chapters brings with it an inescapable magnetism. Simonne Draper’s music is like looking at effervescent Faience pottery, glazed in true blue and white porcelain, signifying saturated brightness and clarity. Sound quality is unblemished. Guitar purists will find this recording hard to resist. Strongly recommended."
Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet [August 2019]
"it is [Simonne's] guitar, and her melodic inventiveness, that are the stars on this CD... I found it extremely enjoyable... Draper plays the guitar beautifully, in a classical style that is lyrical and clean... This is music to enjoy... it is smooth and very easy to like... The world needs more beauty like this."
Fanfare [August 2019]