Simon Vella : Bio

"Simon doesn't just play the violin; he reimagines it. His compositions and performances demonstrate the artist's fundamental choice to move past the notes and use the instrument to tell his own unique story..."

Simon started studying the violin as a young 5-year old child, and obtained his violin licentiate by the time he was 18.  During this time he gained valuable performing experience through various orchestras, chamber groups, solo recitals as well as various band gigs. Aged 8 he also started learning the piano and was soon regularly accompanying Malta's leading vocalists in piano bars around the island.

Aged 18 , he started experimenting with original compositions, in which he fused his interest in electronic soundscapes and beats with his trademark catchy riffs, virtuoso runs and improvisations on the violin. His studying leaned more towards Jazz training while his gigs. This is were he started establishing his musical identity, through gigging with rock bands, jazz ensembles as well as DJs.

Never one to feel at his best giving speeches and giving the "nice big smile" to cameras, he finds comfort on stage wowing audiences with his energetic but very emotional style of delivering his own compositions and arrangements. Audiences that have experienced his live concerts describe his live performances as an "experience" rather just another musical recital, simply because of the uniqueness of his music style and its presentation and delivery on stage. 

Through his first album Different Scores - released when he was 18, listeners could start to appreciate the innovation of his musical style. It contained dance tracks that were played in clubs, hip-hop tracks which eventually evolved into the hip-hop vs classical project Sixth Simfoni (together with MCs Pen-Demonium and D-Legacy), as well as other tunes that were appreciated both by classical connoisseurs as well as modern-music aficionados.

Sixth Simfoni evolved into a hip-hop fusion force in the local music scene and has won over numerous music critics. They gained a lot of airplay on radio and tv stations, won the best Hip-Hop & RnB act at the Malta Music Awards, performed in various festivals including Europavox (France) and MTV Music Week (Malta).

His second solo album released in 2009 "Unspoken - Sounds from Within" showed his maturity both as a musician as well as a composer. His sounds now much deeper and while keeping an innovative and rare timbre, the emphasis shifted more on emotional soundscapes that immediately set a particular mood, and violin playing that switches from technical pieces to simple catchy melodies. 

As years passed, Simon continued gigging regularly at a steady pace in various venues ranging from classical music halls to underground clubs. He has also been collaborating as a session musician with various artists, both in recording sessions as well as live concerts with leading artists / bands like Tribali, Chasing Pandora, Red Electrick and Ira Losco. He established himself as Malta's leading electric violin player in the club scene through various club residencies and sets in Malta's biggest festivals and parties.

For the last 20 years Simon has also been very active into Malta's booming tourism & entertainment market  as a violinist and musical director of various musical setups and bands for events ranging from small business gatherings to large international corporate events.  As a solo violinist as well as through various bands he created and directs , he has also been a mainstay in the Maltese and international wedding scene. His latest project is Strings & Co - an innovative musical collective that fuses a unique blend of classical acoustic instrumentation with modern flair.