jury
Sabrina Simoni (Italy)
Born in 1969, Sabrina Simoni attended the Bologna and Ferrara Conservatory music schools, where she earned degrees in composition, piano and choral conducting.
She is a musician, educator and choir conductor, who has devoted her professional career to teaching young people to sing and play music, as well as conducting choirs.
For more than thirty years, she has been the artistic and musical director of the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano and the Zecchino d’Oro song competition. She has produced more than sixty record albums, and conducted the choir in numerous concerts both in Italy and abroad, and participated in a number of impactful television shows and events (Sanremo Festival 2017, Sanremo 2018, numerous tours, including a tour of China with over 50 spectacular concerts in Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing).
She has conducted before some of the most important State institutions and representatives, including the Chamber of Deputies, at Quirinale Palace and in front of 3 different Presidents of the Republic: Scalfaro, Ciampi and Mattarella.
In 2011, together with M° Siro Merlo, she founded the ‘Associazione Forme Sonore A.P.S.’ (www.formesonore.com), to promote musical and choral activities for children, organising workshops and courses in Italy and abroad. She is guest conductor for several choirs, has been jury member for choral and pop singing competitions, and is author and editor of publications dedicated to music teaching and early vocal experiences for children.
Together with the association she co-founded, Forme Sonore, she collaborates on cultural initiatives in Europe and Asia, and has held numerous choral Workshops and Musical Theatre courses in the Shanghai Theatre in Culture Square, at the Shanghai Children’s Art Theatre and at the Power Station for Art in Shanghai.
Over the course of her career, she has received several awards, which include:
• The "Santa Caterina d'Oro" Prize (2007) for her work.
• The "Giulietta" Prize (2018) for women and their careers.
• The "Tina Anselmi" Prize, dedicated to women who have made a significant contribution in their professional field.
• The "Torre d'Argento" Prize (2019) for Culture, Journalism and Television.
• Appointment as Honorary Member of the Association of Italian Paediatricians (2019).