Bilingual – She carried out her studies at the International School of Milan, Oxford Institute in Milano.
High school certificate: Liceo Linguistico Internazionale, where she studied foreign languages.
Professional Diploma in foreign languages (French and English) released by Scuola Superiore per Interpreti e Traduttori in Milano, where she followed a 3-year course. She also studied German.
Vocal Technique, Theory and Solfeggio - Professional Certificate released by NAM in Milano, where she also specialized in stage-behaviour, diction, orthoepy and phonetics.
She took voice lessons with Anna Bakja for two years at the SMUM Institute in Lugano, Switzerland, and practiced blues and jazz improvisation with Anna Bakja and Angela Baggi.
She studied classical piano with Dorothy Mae Charles who was also her first voice teacher, and with Irma Pandolfi. She took harmony and jazz piano lessons with Claudio Pozzi.
She followed various workshops and seminars (gospel and black music, jazz, improvisation, vocal technique) and is constantly keeping up-to-date on subjects concerning vocal training, vocal technique, jazz music and teaching.
She has been the vocalist of the Enos Patracchini Big Band until 2005, when Maestro Enos Patracchini suddenly died. With the Big Band she had gigs in Theaters and in clubs, such as the Gimmi's Club in Milan. She also participated to TV shows such as Telethon, with the Big Band, and sang for prestigious events organized by the Commune of Milano and various other Communes such as "Milano Estate" where the Big Band played in Piazza del Cannone at the Sforza Castle. She had the joy and honour of singing with artists such as Emilio Soana, Giancarlo Porro, Riccardo Vigoré, Umberto Marcandalli, Massimo Patracchini, Mario Cavallaro, Pippo Colucci. The musicians of the Enos Patracchini Big Band with whom she shared the stage for seven years are:Diego Lambertini, Wolf Ekkhart Sillem, Luciano Guerrieri, Martino Pozzi, Paolo Lopolito, Paolo Rebulla, Costanzo Laini,Andrea Baroldi, Paolo Bulgheroni, Pietro Maiocchi, Francesca Belcastro, Massimo Patracchini, Lewis Edward Short, Sergio Chieregato, Bruno Manzini, Germano Sigolo, Anna Bettoni and Giorgio Chiari.
She has been the vocalist of the "Original Garden Jazz Band" for seven years.
She collaborated for years with "Guitar Club" and "Drum Club" magazines.
Voice and Vocal technique instructor at Gynmusic (Paderno Dugnano, Milano) from 2000 to 2004.
Director of the Voice Department and Vocal technique intructor at Accademia Vivaldi (Bollate, Milano).
She also held professional voice classes at the N.A.M. School of Music in Milano.
She is a member of A.I.C.I. (Italian Voice Teachers Association), which is in its turn a member of E.V.T.A. (European Voice Teachers Association). A.I.C.I. is also a member of I.C.V.T. (International Congress of Voice Teachers).
She sings with Angela Baggi's Underground Gospel Project (contemporary gospel). With this vocal group, she participated to events such as "Acqua per l'Etiopia" (2004) at theIdropark Fila and to concerts held during the event "Una Notte per gli Angeli" in Piazza Duomo in Milan in December 2003 and 2004. In December 2004 a film and recording ofU.G.P.'s live performance was included in a box containing a DVD and CD of various Gospel Groups which participated to this prestigious event. Eva Simontacchi recorded, with other artists, the vocals in the U.G.P. demo which was recorded at the LOGIC Studio of Carmelo La Bionda. (2003)
She collaborated on stage or during recordings in studio with other professional artists such as Angela Baggi, Monica Magnani, Isabella Casucci, Jenny Tempesta, Elisa Rosselli,Ferdinando Di Martino, Claudia Bernath, Letizia Turrà, Sheu Tanimowo, Sagi Reitan, Yonatan Rukhman, Ranieri Di Biagio, Marlena Colecchia, Marco Guerzoni, Andrea Candido, Cristina Di Bella, Alice Edun, and many others.
For the U.G.P. projects she collaborated with the following musicians: Andrea Pollione, Marco Mangelli, Salvo Correri, Marcello "Bread" Schena and Giancarlo Urso.
#777She followed the Vocal Power Singing Method Workshop held by Elisabeth Howard (in the various styles: Blues, R&B, Jazz, Rock, Musical Theatre, etc.) organized by the Italian Voice Teachers Association (A.I.C.I.).
2003 – She organizes a stage behaviour workshop with Silvia Beillard at Accademia Vivaldi in Bollate (Milan).
2003 – She follows a workshop held by Michele Hendricks, organized by Piacenza jazz Club.
2004 – She deepens her studies of the blues with Laura Fedele.
2004 – She becomes Director of the Voice Courses at Accademia Vivaldi in Bollate (Milan).
2004 – She follows a PNL practitioner course at EMMEESSE s.n.c. in Milano, Via Vincenzo Monti, 8 – held by Franco Castagnola – Coach and Master Practitioner and Lorenzo Bresciani – Room Coach for Emmeesse s.n.c.
2004 – She follows a two-day master class "The Secrets of Singing" held by Elisabeth Howard for voice teachers at the Cambiomusica School in Brescia, organized by A.I.C.I.
2004 – She organizes and translates the workshop held by Elisabeth Howard at Accademia Vivaldi (with the participation of A.I.C.I.)
2004 – She translates Elisabeth Howard's workshop at C.D.P.M. in Bergamo, organized by Claudio Angeleri, the School's Director
2004 – She organizes, with the collaboration of the Accademia's Modern Music Director, Mr. Andrea Papini, Jay Clayton's Master Class at the Accademia Vivaldi in Bollate (Milan).
2004 – She receives the Certificate of Vocal Power Singing Method Instructor from Elisabeth Howard.
2005 – She organizes and translates Sheila Jordan's Master Class at the Accademia Vivaldi in Bollate (Milan).
2005 – She is interviewed for a jazz radio program by Claudio Angeleri, pianist, composer, and Director of C.D.P.M. Music School in Bergamo for Radio Emmanuel.
April 2005 – She follows a workshop with Maria Pia De Vito at C.E.M.M. music university in Bussero.
May 2005 – She organizes Laura Fedele's Master Class at Accademia Vivaldi in Bollate (Milano).
June 2005 – She organizes, with Eleonora D'Ettole and Walter Donatiello, a two-day workshop with Jay Clayton at C.E.M.M. music university in Bussero.
June 2005 – Organizes and follows a Master Class for singers held by Jay Clayton in Novate Milanese.
June 2005 - Background gospel vocals in the song "Che Ritorni La Sera" (L. Bonometti) in the album "Laura Bono" by Laura Bono (winner of Sanremo 2005 "young singers" contest) recorded at "Alphaville Studios" in Milano. The gospel choir has been written and directed by Tiziano Cogliati and recorded by Sylvain Prevost.
Founder of the choir project "Happy Day Gospel Choir" (formed by voice students) with Ranieri Di Biagio.
Founder of the professional vocal group "4 Heaven & More", for which she follows the repertoire and the choir harmonizations with Giancarlo Urso and Ranieri Di Biagio. The singers in this project (apart from Eva Simontacchi) are: Claudia Bernath, Ranieri Di Biagio, Emanuela Gramaglia, Gabriele Rofi, Jenny Tempesta (vocals) and Giancarlo Urso(piano). "4 Heaven & More" has a repertoire of Gospel Classics and of traditional afroamerican spirituals, and some interesting harmonizations of classical pieces such as "Ave Maria" by Gounod and "Ave Maria" by Schubert.
Eva Simontacchi writes interviews and reviews which are regularly published on-line by Jazzitalia (
www.jazzitalia.net). Among the artists she interviewed we name: Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, Kurt Elling, Lalah Hathaway, Amii Stewart, Jane Monheit, Jim Hall, Bruno de Filippi, Francesca Sortino, Angela Baggi, Marco Bianchi, Gigi Cifarelli,Claudio Angeleri, Laura Fedele, Francis Dreyfus, Marcus Miller, Amalia Grè, Charles Lloyd, Marco Gotti, Take 6, Jay Clayton. Her articles are also translated in Russian and published by the bimonthly Jazz Magazine "Jazz-Quadrat". She often collaborates, for her interviews and reviews, with Alberto Gottardelli, photographer.
A paragraph of her interview to Sheila Jordan for Jazzitalia has been quoted inside Sheila Jordan's front cover for the album "Believe In Jazz – Sheila Jordan live with Serge Forté Trio" (Ella Productions 2004), and she wrote a presentation for Sheila Jordan's album "Straight Ahead", recorded in Italy with E.S.P. Trio (Cipelli, Zanchi, Cazzola – Special guest – Paolo Fresu) which is printed inside the cover of the CD (2005).
