Simone Tolomeo is an Italian bandoneonist, pianist, composer and arranger born in Palermo in 1985. A singular and passionate artist, he evolves at the crossroads of traditional music, jazz, Argentine tango and contemporary creation. His career is marked by a constant quest for authenticity and hybridization, in which the tango instrument becomes the vehicle for a free, personal language.
Born into a family deeply rooted in Sicilian musical culture, he took up the piano at an early age and pursued classical studies at the Palermo Conservatory. Very early on, he developed a curiosity for Mediterranean sounds, blues, jazz and popular forms. It was this open-mindedness that led him, as an adult, to discover the bandoneon – an instrument that was to become his tool of choice. Fascinated by its expressive possibilities, he set off to Buenos Aires, the cradle of tango, to train with major figures in the genre such as Federico Pereiro, Rodolfo Mederos and Juan José Mosalini.
During his stay in Argentina, Tolomeo deepened his bandoneon writing, arranging and composition skills, notably under the guidance of Gabriel Senanes and Ramiro Gallo. This immersion in Río de la Plata culture nurtured an artistic sensibility combining rhythmic intensity, lyrical melancholy and great formal rigor.
On his return to Europe, he settled in Paris, a cosmopolitan city that provided fertile ground for his hybrid projects. He also studied contemporary composition at the Schola Cantorum, where he honed his taste for open forms, sound textures and transversal writing. His style is thus imbued with spectral music, contemporary chamber music, as well as electronic and experimental music.
Simone Tolomeo stands out for his ability to create a dialogue between tradition and modernity. On stage, he collaborates with artists from diverse backgrounds: jazz musicians, classical composers, folk singers and tango dancers. His repertoire, while drawing on the great tango heritage (from Piazzolla to Pugliese), is open to original creations, free improvisations and scenographic forms.
Notable projects include solo performances with bandoneon and electronics, duets with piano, cello and voice, and compositions for theater, short films and sound installations. He has performed at numerous festivals in Italy, France, Argentina and other European countries, giving voice to his unique and profound sound.
Committed to a committed vision of music, Simone Tolomeo also explores alternative pedagogical forms and regularly leads workshops on improvisation, active listening and spontaneous composition. He sees music as a space for memory, transformation and human connection.
Today, his research focuses on reinventing the bandoneon as a contemporary instrument – at once soloist, polyphonic and poetic. Between Mediterranean introspection and urban tension, his music bears the mark of a free artist, rooted in his origins, but always on the move.
