Simon Tedeschi

Simon Tedeschi is one of Australia’s most renowned classical pianists. Recipient of the Young Performer of the Year Award, the Creativity Foundation’s Legacy Award (USA), the New York Young Jewish Pianist Award and a Centenary of Federation Medal, he has performed for audiences, royalty and world leaders worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall via Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.

Acclaimed by respected critics and peers as “true greatness” (SMH), Simon performed his first Mozart piano concerto in the Sydney Opera House aged nine, later studying in the USA and performing with the Colorado, Fort Worth and Illinois Symphony Orchestras. Since returning in 2009, he regularly performs as soloist with all the major Australian symphony orchestras, and tours nationally for festivals, venues and presenters including Musica Viva Australia both solo and in chamber recitals. Uncommonly for a classical pianist, Tedeschi also dabbles in jazz, and has co-written and toured internationally the Sydney Opera House’ Meeting Mozart show (for children), and a number of shows combining words and music, with Monkey Baa Theatre, and with Australian theatre icon, John Bell AO OBE.

With numerous recordings for ABC Classics/Universal Music, including The Gershwin Collection, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, R. Strauss’ Enoch Arden, Schumann, Schubert and concerti by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Grieg, Simon’s latest album for ABC Classic is ‘Debussy – Ravel’ with violist Roger Benedict, released in September 2022. Upcoming engagements include concertos with the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, a fundraising concert for Ukraine, further performances with John Bell, and several music and writing festival appearances.

Alongside his performing career, Tedeschi is also fast gaining renown as a writer of note, with his critically acclaimed literary debut, Fugitive (for Upswell Publishing) released this year; his writing also earned the prestigious Calibre Essay Prize for 2022.