Simone Ducloux is a native Austinite, and granddaughter of former UT-opera professor and Austin Lyric Opera founder/director, Walter Ducloux.  Simone grew up in a very musical family, and has been a devoted pianist and musician since the age of 7, when she started taking piano lessons.  She began competing in piano competitions at age nine.  During high school, she won first place every year in the annual Austin Music Teacher’s piano competition, and was named “Outstanding Performer” in Annual U.I.L. State Competitions in her Freshman, Junior and Senior Years.  In 1999, she performed the Grieg piano concerto in A-minor with the Austin Civic Orchestra.  She also spent that summer at the international fine-arts conservatory, Interlochen, where she studied piano with Steven Perre. 

As a scholarship student of Professor Nancy Garrett, Simone earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the University of Texas at Austin, and also finished her Masters degree in Music at the University of Texas.  She has also had the privilege of studying piano with David Renner, Timothy Woolsey, and Anton Nel.  Simone studied piano pedagogy at UT under the instruction of Sophia Gilmson since 2003, where she taught in the UT Piano Project.  Simone believes that teaching music to others is one of the most important elements in the development of one’s own growth as a musician, artist, and performer.  “I want to provide students with the tools to teach themselves new things every day.” She is committed to providing students with a firm understanding of music theory and music-reading from the beginning of their studies.  “I want my students to have a deeper understanding of what’s going on in their favorite part of a piece.” She is also highly committed to helping students realize the healthiest technical skills that they can personally achieve, so that they can express their musical ideas with as much freedom and ease as possible.

Simone performs locally for various events and benefits, keeping up a repertoire for public performances of both solo and chamber repertoire.  She will forever remain dedicated to her studies as a pianist, teacher, and musician.