Simona Collu

Born in Florence, Italy, in 2003. Since 2022, she studies at the Reina Sofía School of Music’s Fundación BBVA Viola Chair with professor Nobuko Imai. She has been granted scholarships by Claudio Aguirre and Fundación Albéniz and plays with a Baroque viola bow loaned as an instrument scholarship by the latter.

Although she began her musical education studying violin at the age of four, in 2016 she chose to play viola, taught by Antonello Farulli, with whom she is currently in her third year. She has taken part in an advanced course given by Bruno Giuranna at the Stauffer Centre for Strings in Cremona. She has also received masterclasses by Nobuko Imai, Wenting Kang, Lawrence Power, Heime Müller, Thomas Selditz, Yibin Li, Christophe Giovaninetti, Paul Cortese, Timothy Ridout, Máté Szücs, Krzysztof Chorzelski (string ensembles) and Cuarteto Casals.

She was awarded the Fiesole School of Music scholarships as viola soloist for several years.

She has taken part in the Virtuoso & Belcanto Music Festival, Sesto Rocchi Open Chamber Music Festival, Chigiana International Festival & Summer Academy, Erben Music Festival, Imola Summer Music Festival, and the Livorno Music Festival.

As chamber musician, she is a member of the Kaleidos Quartet that was awarded first prize at the Airola City International Competition.

As a student of the School, she has been a member of the Freixenet Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and the Fundación EDP Camerata, conducted by Christoph Poppen and Paul Goodwin. She has been part of the Stoneshield Quartet and of the Kegelstatt and the BBDO Contrapunto trios.