Overview:

Purpose and Vision: This double album features the ethereal sounds of real panpipes.

This album is first and foremost an act of worship by panflautist Simon Bernard-Smith. This hand picked collection of most loved hymns and choruses is designed to lift your spirits, to fill your home, car or wherever you are. This music gently nurtures the heart and allows these wonderful songs of faith to permeate your life and continually draw you closer to the Author who inspired the writing of such beautiful and powerful music.

The songs Simon records are songs that are very important to him. Songs that express his faith and minister to him while he is playing them. Simon's hope is that these songs will touch other hearts as they allow themselves to hear these beautiful hymns and choruses anew. Hymns that are played on an instrument that while centuries old still finds ready and eager listeners with each successive generation.

Simon Bernard-Smith resides in England.

Simon has been interested in panpipes since 1976 (at age 15) when he saw a South American group, Los Jairas, performing in the UK. This evolved into an interest in European Pan Pipes. From 1986 to 1991 Simon owned a company manufacturing panflutes and selling them to around 20 countries worldwide. From this Simon's career was launched. Simon is now one of the most well known and respected panflautist's in the UK.

Most of the panflutes Simon plays today are handcrafted by himself sourcing the bamboo of the quality required from China. These specially handcrafted instruments are known as the Eastern European or classical panflutes that were made famous by Zamphir. Simon plays all sizes of panflute from the soprano down to the contra-bass panflute. That particular size of instrument in the European panflutes is very rare - with the deepest note being from a pipe over three feet long. Such an instrument is able to span over 4 octaves. Over the last 10 years Simon has made playing the panpipes not only his hobby but his career as well. As mentioned above, Simon has collected an assortment of panflutes which adds to the rich timbre that his recordings display.

Today Simon plays at large indoor shopping malls by invitation and concerts throughout the UK and Europe. His styles are a mixture of light classical, easy listening and gospel and include original songs. Simon has sold over 250,000 copies of his music mainly in the UK and Europe.

Simon continues to record and sell his own music establishing his place in musicology as a premier panflautist. He is 39 years old, married to Penny and together they have three children Natasha (11), Benjamin (8) and Samuel (6).