Simone Zuccatti was born in 1985 in Trento, North-East Italy. He graduated in trumpet (2003) with Ivano Ascari and studied composition with Massimo Priori (2003-2009) at Riva del Garda “Bonporti” Conservatorium. He also studied singing and performed several works from the Reinassance to the 21st century in various choirs and a-cappella ensembles.

After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Trento in 2008 with a dissertation in history of music – on the subject of Debussy’s Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien – he moved to Milan to study orchestral conducting at “Verdi” Conservatorium with Maestro Daniele Agiman, graduating in 2012. He regularly conducted professional orchestras such as Filarmonica Italiana, I Pomeriggi Musicali and Orchestra Sinfonica G. Verdi, rehearsing and performing a vast repertoire both symphonic (Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms) and operatic (Cimarosa, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini). In 2010 and 2011 he attended Summer courses given by the “Orchestra Rossini di Pesaro” under Maestro Agiman at the PSA Opera Festival in Pergine, rehearsing and conducting Il Trovatore and Rigoletto.

In 2012 he made his debut with I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra of Milan directing a programme which included Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro Overture and Piano Concerto in C major KV 415 together with Haydn’s London Symphony n. 104.

Between 2013 and 2014 he was selected to take part in several International Conducting Competitions all around Europe. In April 2014 he served as assistant to Maestro Nicola Luisotti (Music Director, San Francisco Opera) in Otello rehearsals at Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

Since July 2014 he has attended the Master in Conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Maestro Eduardo Diazmuñoz. During his studies in Australia he worked intensively in different areas, conducting several premières of pieces by young composers and organizing/promoting/conducting in June 2015 an Opera Gala with singers from the opera school, resulting in a successful musical journey through Italian opera. He also collaborated actively in the realization of the two main events for the Sydney Conservatory of Music Centenary celebrations, serving as assistant to Maestro Eduardo Diazmuñoz for the orchestral preparation of Bernstein’s Mass at the Sydney Opera House, and to Maestro Neil McEwen for the choral coaching of Haydn’s Orfeo conducted by Richard Bonynge.

He was successful in the 2014 Symphony Services International auditions and, as a result, in September 2015 he attended the Masterclasses given by Maestro Christopher Seaman (Hobart, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) and by Maestro Johannes Fritzsch (Sydney, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra).

He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in October 2015 with a Master Degree in Conducting. 

In 2016 he founded the “Spettro Armonico” Chamber Orchestra, created within a cultural association. He also worked as Chorus Master for Puccini’s Tosca (Teatro Zandonai, Rovereto, April 2016) and he’s a consulting member of the cultural activities committee of the Council of Rovereto.
He recently attended MusicaRiva Festival conducting Masterclass with M° Isaac Karabtchevsky and Florence Conducting Masterclass with M° Massimiliano Caldi. 
He also conducted the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra (Ukraine) in a Hollywood film-music program at the Tones on the Stones Festival in Verbania, Italy.
He recently attended the “Nino Rota” International Conducting Competition in Matera, reaching the final. He was the only Italian to reach semi-final and then final, resulting the youngest of the 3 finalists. He was awarded with the Special Prize of the Audience at the final concert of the competition.
He also was one of the semi-finalists at the “F. Mendelssohn” International Conducting Competition in Thessaloniki (Greece), resulting the only Italian contestant from the 2nd round on. 
 

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ME

 

M° NICOLA LUISOTTI Music Director San Francisco Opera, Teatro San Carlo Napoli

I think that M° Zuccatti is a very good element, a musician gifted with a refined aesthetic sensibility and special human qualities that are essential for a career as Orchestral Conductor.

 

M° EDUARDO DIAZMUNOZ Professor and Chair of Conducting - Artistic and Music Director, Chief Conductor SCM Symphony Orchestra - Sydney Conservatorium of Music

Since I met Simone, he distinguished himself as a completely devoted and dedicated artist in the most wide and profound sense of the word, as you’ll be able to tell once you get to scratch the surface of this gifted, talented, and accomplished musician.

His musical training is quite solid as he studied trumpet, composition, singing, and has devoted the last few years to conducting, a path for which he has the qualities to succeed.

Mr. Zuccatti is a good example of what a complete conductor should do in front of an orchestra. He is clear and energetic and knows how to stimulate and persuade the players to achieve the sonorities he has in mind. He has a keen mind, always searching for answers to the many questions his inquisitive nature puts in front of him, and he understands when research is needed to achieve specific goals. In sum, he knows how to obtain fine musical and artistic results.

On top of all these talents, Simone is a great human being, an amiable person, a generous colleague and a very devoted and professional young conductor, qualities that we desperately need in our world nowadays.

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M° MASSIMILIANO CALDI Principal Conductor of the Polish Baltic "F. Chopin" Philharmonic in Gdansk/Danzig - Principal Conductor and Artistic Consultant of Koszalin Philarmonic "S. Moniuszko" - Principal Guest Conductor "A. Malawski" Podkarpacka Philharmonic of Rzeszow

Since the first moment I met him in the Florence Conducting Masterclass, I have appreciated his very open and clear way to relate with the orchestra. Despite his young age, he shows an evident maturity and good knowledge of the repertoire, besides a quite sure and clear technique of conducting both during the rehearsals and the concert. I think that any kind of support to Mr. Zuccatti would be absolutely deserved and I am ready to guarantee on him personally.

 

ANGELA CITTERIO Principal Flute, I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra

M° Zuccatti has a real flair for conducting the orchestra: he is an excellent musician and has a perfect technique and musical knowledge for standing in front of it.

Furthermore, his fresh and emotional interpretation raised a great success among the audience. I think he deserves all the chances to develop an international and brilliant career.