Album Notes

Born in Trento, Italy, Stefania Neonato graduated in piano at her home town Conservatory, while simultaneously working on a BA degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Trento. She subsequently earned a Master in Fortepiano Performance Practice at the Imola International Piano Academy and the Doctorate in Musical Arts in Historical Performance Practice with Malcolm Bilson at Cornell University, where she served as piano teaching assistant from 2006 to 2008.

She won Second Prize (first prize not awarded) and Audience Prize at the 2007 International Fortepiano Competition in Bruges. From then on she’s invited to play at the most important Early Music Festivals (Van Vlaanderen in Bruges, Styriarte in Graz, Printemps des Arts in Nantes, Festival Mozart in Rovereto) and Concert seasons (Münster-Erbdrostenhof, Bologna-Accademia Filarmonica, Brescia-Teatro Grande, Florence-Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori, Padova-Amici della Musica).

Her interest in historical instruments was born during the school-years by meeting the pianist Alexander Lonquich and working with him on the most important Italian collections (Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence, Giulini in Briosco-Milan and Imola-Bologna). She received a thorough and serious instruction in piano performance with Riccardo Zadra, Leonid Margarius and Aldo Ciccolini.

Active as chamber-musician and fine lieder-accompanist, she is committed to musicological issues; she writes articles and essays for music journals and conferences focusing on piano aesthetics.

In 2005 she was commissioned her first recording: it features Mozart, Beethoven and Dussek on a rare 1780 Viennese fortepiano. Her second CD has just been released and presents music of Clementi and Beethoven on a valuable 1822 Clementi grand piano.

Her pioneering concerts are successful: particularly appreciated were her recital with Clementi and Beethoven on an English pianoforte, the staged contest between Mozart and Clementi, and a virtuosic program with Toccatas from Classic and Romantic periods.

Her collection of instruments includes a circa 1819 Conrad Graf , a replica of a Walter u.Söhne (1803) by Paul McNulty (2008), an 1820 Daniel Dörr, an 1853 Pleyel and Erard, and a 1919 Steinway & Sons.