Simone Pirri (b. 1994) is a passionate period violinist and international prizewinner characterised by an engaging and enthusiastic personality.
A sought-after soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and orchestral player, Simone performs regularly with some of the world’s most renowned early music groups. He has appeared with Il Pomo d’Oro, Les Talens Lyriques, The English Concert, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Diderot, Arcangelo, Ensemble Jupiter, Brecon Baroque, Collegium 1704, Holland Baroque, Ensemble Pygmalion, Ensemble Mare Nostrum, La Serenissima, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Nuova Musica. As a recitalist he has been invited by Amici della musica di Padova, Handel & Hendrix in London and the London Bach Society (just to name a few) and has appeared as concertmaster and soloist under the direction of Christophe Rousset, Thomas Dunford, Peter Whelan, Lorenzo Ghielmi and Andrea de Carlo. Simone is also member of the vibrant early music chamber ensemble “Mozaique”.
In October 2023 he was the only finalist to win two prizes at the International Baroque Violin Competition “Premio Bonporti” in Rovereto (Italy). The previous year he was a prizewinner at the IV International Baroque Violin Competition “José Herrando” in Spain as well. He was the recipient of the Belsize Baroque Leader Scholarship 2018/2019 and a participant of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment “Ann and Peter Law Experience for Young Players 2019”. In 2019/2020 he was a Samama Fellow with the Dutch baroque ensemble Holland Baroque and a Handel House Talent at the Handel & Hendrix in London.
After completing a Bachelor of Music degree with the highest marks in Violin Performance at Conservatorio Luisa D’Annunzio in Pescara (2012), Simone moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his postgraduate studies in historical performance first at the Royal Academy of Music in London (Master of Arts) and then at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff (Postgraduate Diploma). His teachers include Rachel Podger, Simon Standage, Nicolette Moonen, Davide Monti, Marco Fiorini, Antonio Anselmi and Rocco De Massis. Furthermore, in September 2022 he graduated successfully from Conservatorio E. F. Dall’Abaco in Verona with a Master of Music degree in Chamber Music performance on period instruments.
He plays on a Pietro Paolo De Vitor (1730-40, Venice) on generous loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.