Simon Degenkolbe received his first clarinet lessons at the age of ten. In 2013 he began studying at the conservatory in Stuttgart under Prof. Norbert Kaiser before becoming a scholar of the Orchestra Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2019. There he was taught by Andreas Ottensamer, Wenzel Fuchs, Walter Seyfarth and Alexander Bader.

Simon Degenkolbe gained his first orchestra experience as a member of the national youth orchestra of Germany, and later with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Opera Orchestra Frankfurt, the Radio Orchestra Berlin, and many others. He is also the principal clarinet of the Sinfonie Orchester Münster.