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Roberto De Simone (Naples, 25 August 1933 - Naples, 6 April 2025) was an Italian theater director, composer, and musicologist. He was the grandson of stage and film actor Roberto De Simone and began studying piano at the age of six. In 1946, he enrolled at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella in Naples, where he performed Mozart's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra K. 466 and later Beethoven's Concerto No. 3 in C Minor for piano and orchestra, earning recognition as one of the most deserving students. In 1957, De Simone began a concert career while also exploring the popular music of Campania, eventually focusing on musicology and the region's traditions. His work during this time included music for television and theater, notably for Sophocles' Oedipus the King and The Long Night of Medea. He also contributed to Rai TV dramas. In 1967, he co-founded the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare with Giovanni Mauriello, Eugenio Bennato, and Carlo d'Angiò, focusing on the recovery and reinterpretation of Campania's cultural and musical traditions. His theatrical work with the group included a rereading of Andrea Perrucci's Cantata dei Pastori in 1974 and the successful La Gatta Cenerentola in 1976, which led to a rift with some members of the NCCP.

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