Simona Collu

Simona Collu (b. 2003) is a violist active between Italy and Spain and the recent winner of the audition for assistant principal of the Orchestra of the Teatro Real. After beginning her violin studies at the age of three at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, she switched to the viola in 2017 and studied with Antonello Farulli, later continuing her advanced training with Bruno Giuranna at the Stauffer Center for Strings.

She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, where she studied with Nobuko Imai and Wenting Kang, and now continues her studies with Lawrence Power.

Her concert activity spans Italy and Spain, with appearances in series and seasons such as AGIMUS Firenze, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Legnano, the Ciclo Centenario Telefónica, and the Ciclo Semblanzas. Alongside solo repertoire, she maintains a strong commitment to chamber music.

She performs regularly in duo with pianist Sebastian Suvini, with whom she has collaborated closely for about two years, and she was a member of the Quartetto Kaleidos, awarded at the Premio Città di Airola and the Concorso Piero Farulli.

Over the years, she has received prizes in numerous national and international competitions, including the X Agustín Aponte International Music Competition, Premio Farulli, Premio Crescendo, and the Concorso A. Salieri. She was awarded scholarships for two consecutive years by the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole as best instrumentalist, and for 2026 she has also won a position in the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO).

She has taken part in masterclasses with Garth Knox, Timothy Ridout, Christophe Giovaninetti, and the Quartetto Casals, and has attended festivals and academies including the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Imola Summer Music Festival, the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum Salzburg, and Virtuoso & Belcanto. In the summer of 2026, she will be an Artist-in-Residence at the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival.