Simone Mancuso was born and raised in Italy. He has been internationally recognized for his interpretations of contemporary classical pieces with prizes including the Kranichstein-Stipendienpreise at the Darmstadt International Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in 2002 and the Stockhausen Preise in 2005, which was awarded to Mancuso directly by Karlheinz Stockhausen.
His career as a soloist has taken him throughout Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, and the United States, in such prestigious venues and festivals as the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, Strathmore Hall, Martha Argerich Project, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt, Moscow Conservatory, Teatro Nacional of Brazil and ISCM World New Music Days, among others.
He has collaborated with composers including Karlheinz Stockhausen, Salvatore Sciarrino, Klaus Huber, Chaya Czernowin, Edoardo Soto-Milan, Rudolf Kelterborn, Adriana Hölsky, Giovanni Damiani, and Alberto Jacopucci.
As a soloist he has appeared with the Basel Sinfonietta, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, SONUS Ensemble, and Orchestra da Camera Ungherese under the baton of Alexander Rabinovitch-Barakovsky, Johannes Kalitzke, Giorgio Bernasconi, Denise Fedeli, and Diego Fasolis.
In a chamber music setting, he has performed with celebrated pianists such as Martha Argerich, Gabriele Baldocci, Giorgia Tomassi, and Enrico Pompili
In 2007 he was selected by Karlheinz Stockhausen as a recommended performer of his works.
Mancuso’s internationally released recordings can be heard on EMI Classics, Stradivarius, Col Legno, Curva Minore and Suisse Grammont Portrait and he is currently receiving high praise for his debut solo CD La parola al Legno featuring solo works by John Cage, Giacinto Scelsi, and the world premiere recording of Il Legno e la Parola for solo marimba by Salvatore Sciarrino.
He is a founding member of the Lugano Percussion Group and of the jazz/classical crossover duo the Mancuso-Suzda Project.
He holds a Conservatory Diploma in Percussion from the Conservatorio A. Scontrino in Trapani, Italy, where he studied with Professor Fulvia Ricevuto. He also received the Solisten Diplom from the University School of Music of Lugano, Switzerland where he studied with Professor Mircea Ardeleanu. This award is only given four times per year, and Mancuso was the first percussionist ever to receive this recognition.
Currently, Mancuso is a member of the percussion faculty at Arizona State University in Phoenix, USA.
