Simone Stella

Simone Stella, born in Florence, Italy in 1981, plays organ, harpsichord, piano, and is also a composer.

He studied piano at the Conservatory of Florence with Rosanita Racugno, and perfected his piano studies with Marco Vavolo.

Studying organ with Mariella Mochi and organ composition with Luciano Damarati, he is also a disciple of the internationally famous harpsichordist/organist Francesco Cera for ancient music, and studies organ improvisation in Cremona with Fausto Caporali and Stefano Rattini. He has attended many courses and seminars held by internationally acclaimed artists including Giancarlo Parodi, Edoardo Bellotti, Montserrat Torrent, Michel Bouvard, Stefano Innocenti, Pier Paolo Donati, Claudio Brizi, Antonio Galanti, Klemens Schnorr, Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, Ludger Lohmann, Umberto Forni, Monika Henking, Guy Bovet, and Matteo Imbruno.

First Prize Winner in both the 2004 and 2005 editions of the "Alessandro Esposito" Organ Competition held in Lucca, Italy, Simone Stella maintains an active concert schedule, both as a soloist, with orchestra and in various chamber formations. His repertoire includes the vast majority of Johann Sebastian Bach?s keyboard works, as well as organ music from every historical era up to and including the present day. He has made numerous recordings of organ works by ancient Italian composers, in addition to being an active composer of instrumental music, both for solo instruments and chamber groups.

He was titular organist at the historical Orsanmichele Church in Florence and teached piano at "Il Trillo" School of Music in that city.

Also acclaimed as a poet and critic, having won prizes in several international competitions, Simone Stella was awarded at a very young age the titles of Academic Senator by the International Academy of the Micenei and Accademico di Merito by the Italian Academy of the Etruscans for his musical and literary talents.