Principal Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic. Born in Rome, Stefano Trasimeni began his study of piano at the early age of four, under his mother's tutelage. He continued his musical studies at the Alfredo Casella Conservatory in Aquila where he studied piano under Pietro Iadeluca and composition under Fausto Razzi. He began as a concert pianist, as a soloist as well as in various chamber ensembles, with a particular concentration on the performability of the Chopinian repertoire.
He began composing, mostly for piano, at a very young age. His earliest compositions include Rhapsody Op.11, Nocturnes Op. 12, Piano Study Op. 26 (broadcast on the RAI 3 programme Il Quadrato Magico…itiinerari scelti nella musica d'arte) as well as Quintet for Wind Instruments Op. 27. Though youthful works, they were consistent with the most contemporary artistic trends. These were followed by more mature works such as Symphonic Portrait Op. 39 n. 2 and especially by his considerable body of incidental music. Trasimeni has composed instrumental and vocal music, through which he's explored the use of vocal music in the late-Baroque period.
In 1988 he recorded one of his Symphonic Preludes for choir and orchestra for the Christmas season for RAI Italian television. In 1994, he was awarded the Novamusica & Arte Prize for the didactic importance of his publications on 19th century piano music (with particular reference to the development of the study of piano technique in the Romantic period) and for his study of the educational and pedagogical aspects adolescents' approaches to musical language.
He is the author of soundtracks to feature films such as I Caboto e il Nuovo Mondo directed by G. Bernabei and produced by RAI International, which represented Italy in the celebration of the quincentennial of the discovery of Canada, which took place in Toronto in August 1997.
He has been on juries and honorary committees in national and international competitions; he is currently artistic director of the International Contest for the Interpretation of Contemporary Music - City of Rome Prize, which held its 9th edition this year.
His training in orchestral direction took place mainly abroad: initially with H. Hoffman and D. Zenghinov; later, he perfected his skills under M. Natchev, favourite of I. Mussin and G. Rozdestvenskij.
Permanent Guest Director of the Kronstadt Pilharmoniker in Transylvania, Trasimeni collaborates regularly with the National Orchestra of Radio Sofia. With the latter, he recorded the Pastoral Concerto for flute and orchestra and the Aranjuez Concert for guitar and orchestra in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of J. Rodrigo (1901-1999).
He is guest director of the most celebrated international philharmonic orchestras, among which those of St. Petersbrug, Kiev, Sofia, Atlanta, Rostov-on-Don, Klagenfurt, Bucharest, Tashkent, Almaty, Prague, Vienna, Zurich, Moscow and Paris.
He's taught Score Analysis and Theory of Conducting in summer courses in Varna (Bulgaria); he currently teaches Courses of High Formation for Young Orchestral Directors at the Symphonia Festival. Particularly interested in the didactic and pedagogical aspects of music, he often holds conferences and lecture-concerts. He taught in the European Courses series organized by the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome. For the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 in Rome, he conducted the Petite Messe Solennelle for soloists, choir and orchestra by G. Rossini for the programme I Concerti del Giubileo nel Giorno del Signore (Jubilee Concerts in the Day of the Lord), recorded by RAI 3.
In 2003, on the occasion of the European Year of Disabled People, and in celebration of Pope John Paul II's 25th anniversary as pontiff, he directed the Christmas concert at the St. Cecilia (Pio X) Auditorium in Rome, broadcast on RAI 1 on 26th December; in 2004, he was once again called to direct the Christmas concert, performed with the National Ukrainian Symphony Orchestra of Kiev and the "Dumka" National Academic Choir of Ukraine and broadcast on RAI 2 on 5th January, the national day of mourning for the victims of the Tsunami.
In 2005, Trasimeni directed the Concerti della Solidarietà…per una cultura senza barriere (Solidarity Concert…for a culture without barriers) organized by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities; in 2006 he was reconfirmed to conduct the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra at the Solidarity Concert. Both concerts were recorded on two DVDs released by RaiTrade.
His latest effort was released October 2007, in keeping with his mission to propagate lesser known works, an issue to which Maestro Trasimeni is particularly sensitive. In fact, for RaiTrade he has recently recorded an unpublished piece by young, Pugliese composer Vito Palumbo entitled, Quadro Sinfonico Concertante for piano and orchestra and two posthumous works of P.I. Tchajkovsjij, Concerto n. 3 for piano and orchestra Op. 74 post. and Andate e Finale, Op. 79 post.
His interest in the world of entertainment and his knowledge of its complexities have found expression in non-artistic pursuits as well: he is a member of the Board of Governors of the Mario Schisa National Welfare Fund (National Union of Composers and Librettists) and was an active member of the SIAE (Italian Society of Authors and Editors) College of Editors and Oversight Committee, during the commissarial period; since 2002 he has acted as consultant for IMAIE (Institute for the Protection of Performing Artists' Rights) in the classical music sector.