Biography

Known for her intense vitality, ample technical means, strong rhythmic drive and fire in her performances, Simone Leitão continues to rise as one of the most exciting pianists of her generation to emerge from Brazil. She holds an active career as soloist in the Americas, Europe and China. Simone is the Artistic Director of Brasil Classical, an organization that promotes Brazil's symphonic music, its composers and interpreters in USA and fosters Brazil's music education program, by donating the proceeds of the concerts to purchase quality instruments for Brazilian young musicians.

For 2011, Simone Leitão will launch her first solo CD with an extensive tour in Brazil, including this country's most important music halls. She will also be the soloist for Amazon Philharmonic and Miami Symphony Orchestra. Simone, a native of Minas Gerais state, lives in the United States where she graduated as DMA (2009) in piano performance at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, in the studio of Ivan Davis (pupil of Vladimir Horowitz), with a minor in Musicology. Simone's recital, chamber and orchestra appearances have taken her to halls such as Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Sala São Paulo, Sala Cecilia Meireles, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Teatro São Pedro, Lindeman Saal, to name a few.

With a prolific repertoire which ranges from Byrd, Bach and Scarlatti to Guarnieri, Villa-Lobos, Prokofieff, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, Simone is a curious and creative interpreter who will research to always find a communicative way to present the music of the past and present to the today's audience. In 2010, Brazil's ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended one of her concerts.

Simone Leitão holds a Master Degree in Piano Performance from Norges MusikkHögskole (The Norwegian Academy of Music), Oslo, where she graduated from the studio of Geir Braaten (pupil of Yvonne Lefebure) and BM in Music Education by the University of Rio de Janeiro. Simone got her piano training from: Linda Bustani (pupil of Iakov Zak) and Homero Magalhães (pupil of Alfred Cortot and Bruno Seidlhofer). She has frequently performed as soloist and chamber musician in Brazil, USA, China, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Norway, as well as recorded for Brazil's public radio and TV. Leitão has published articles about music and society in Brazil's largest newspaper: O GLOBO.