Rising Stars: Meet Andrea Simone De Nicolò of Italy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Simone De Nicolò.

Hi Andrea Simone, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Andrea Simone De Nicolò, I am 19 years old, and I live in Valenzano.
I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Piano under the guidance of Maestro Federico Nicoletta at the Conservatory of Rovigo. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Piano with top marks, honors (cum laude), and a special mention from the examining board. I also hold the highest-grade Concert Certificate from the St. Cecilia International School of Music of Australia. Thanks to a scholarship, I attended the Feuerwerk Einbeck International Piano Academy in Einbeck, Germany, directed by the Lithuanian pianist and maestro Gintaras Januševičius.
I have studied piano with Cinzia Falco, Giuseppe Campagnola, Vita Papapietro, and Ilia Tchernaev; I further refined my technique with Piero Cassano and attended piano masterclasses with Alfonso Soldano, Pierluigi Camicia, Jingxian Xie, Benedetto Lupo, Jovanka Banjac, and Alessandro Deljavan. Additionally, I studied harpsichord with Maestro Margherita Porfido and participated in masterclasses with Maestros Anna Paradiso Laurin, Svitlana Shabaltina, and Claudio Astronio.
To date, I have won approximately fifty first prizes and absolute first prizes in national and international music competitions. I have performed in concerts across Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and North Macedonia. I also collaborate as a continuo harpsichordist with the Puglia Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra Filarmonica Pugliese).
I served as a jury member for the 1st edition of the Zaječar Piano Competition and held a masterclass for students at the State School of Bitola. I edited the revision of Maestro Aldo Gigante’s “Tre Divagazioni per pianoforte” for the Labirinto Armonico series by WIP Edizioni. Furthermore, I contribute to the organization of artistic and musical events at the Auditorium Mirella Carriero in Valenzano. My artistic achievements have been recognized with scholarships from the Inner Wheel Club of Bari and the Teatro Pubblico Pugliese.
I am deeply involved in social initiatives: I have performed charity recitals to raise funds for Christian Missions in Central Africa, for the people of Ukraine, for Ant Puglia, and for Il Piccolo Paolo. I have also performed twice for the inmates of the Bari District Prison.
My career has been featured in online newspapers and in La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno; my work has also been covered by news programs on Telenorba and Rai Tre Bolzano. I have been a guest on Mattino Norba with Grazia Rongo and on Italiasì with Marco Liorni on Rai Uno. Additionally, Rai Gulp dedicated an entire episode of the youth magazine #explorers community to my story.
Significant media attention was given to my gratitude concert held at the Borgo Trento Hospital in Verona for Dr. Barbara Masotto and her team, following the successful removal of a brain tumor. In fact, since September 2024, I have been battling a Grade III Pineal Parenchymal Tumor of Intermediate Differentiation—a disease that is often fatal, but which I am striving to face with the help of God.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Studying the piano requires commitment and determination, without neglecting other academic responsibilities. It is necessary to be precise and methodical. One must have steady nerves to control one’s emotions when performing in public. Furthermore, over the last year and a half, I have had to balance my commitments and studies with the medical treatments required for my illness, including intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy programs.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love playing for the sake of playing, to convey messages and emotions through music, especially classical music. I mainly play the piano, but I also enjoy playing the harpsichord. I am not very fond of piano competitions, even though I have participated in several, because I believe that there should be no competition between musicians, or aspiring ones. I perform in concerts, both in Italy and abroad, and I aim to become a piano professor once I have completed my studies.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe that each of us faces risks every minute of our lives, even when everything seems peaceful. Honestly, since I discovered my illness, there is no risk that worries me except that of continuing to live. For every other risk, a remedy can be found.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andreasimonedenicolò.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasimonedenicolo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551955060918
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andreasimonedenicolo

Image Credits
No one.