Simone Pedroni

Pianist Simone Pedroni has placed particular focus on film music among his various interests. Excerpts from scores by John Williams rank among the works he has arranged and performed, establishing him as one of the composer's leading European advocates. For several years he held the post of pianist-in-residence with the Milan Symphony Orchestra, where he also introduced new compositions. Several chamber-music discs arranged by Pedroni himself from film scores have appeared under his name, among them John Williams Reimagined (2024).

Born in 1968 in Novara near Milan, Pedroni received his training at the Verdi Conservatory of Milan under Piero Rattalino and received his diploma in 1990. He continued at the Accademia Pianistica Incontri col Maestro in Imola, studying principally with Rattalino, Lazar Berman, and Franco Scala. In 1992 he earned second prize at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Israel and first prize at the Queen Sonya Competition in Norway. His profile rose sharply after capturing both the gold medal and the chamber-music prize at the 1993 Van Cliburn Piano Competition in Texas; reviewers singled out the distinctive, non-virtuosic character of his playing. Philips released a selection of those performances on the album Van Cliburn 9th International Piano Competition 1993 Gold Medal Winner.

He has performed extensively across the globe, appearing as soloist and with major orchestras at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. A twenty-nine-city American tour with the Prague Chamber Orchestra formed part of his schedule. Pedroni has also maintained strong ties to Italy, performing at the Teatro alla Scala and serving as artist-in-residence with the Milan Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2016; during that period he gave the world premiere of the Concerto for piano and orchestra by Luis Bacalov. In 2014 he established the Alagna Music Festival "From Bach to Williams" and acted as its artistic director. Beginning in 2015 he took up the conductor's role with the Milan Symphony, directing a sold-out program of Williams excerpts from Star Wars and later leading additional orchestral concerts devoted to film music.

Pedroni has recorded for several prominent labels, including a Decca album centered on the music of Italian film composer Nino Rota. His 2017 release John Williams: Themes and Transcriptions for piano appeared on Varèse Sarabande. With flutist Sara Andon he issued Cinema Morricone: An Intimate Celebration on Sony Classical in 2019, and the same collaborators, joined by cellist Cécilia Tsan, returned on Warner Classics in 2024 with John Williams Reimagined, an album containing numerous arrangements by Pedroni for piano trio.