The Romanian Cultural Institute has invited young emerging Romanian musicians studying in London to give a concert within the Enescu Society Concert series.
The young musicians are students at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama: Victor Nicoara (piano), Diana Ionescu (piano), Tudor Andrei (violin), Lucia Marica (violin), Mihai Cocea (viola), Andrei Simion (cello), Shuai Shi (violin).
Programme: L. van Beethoven - Piano Trio no 4, Op. 11 G. Enescu - Sonata No 3 in A Minor, Op 25 "In Romanian Folk Character" J. Brahms - Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
Born in 1984 in Bucharest, Romania, Victor Nicoara is currently in his second postgraduate year on the MMus course at the Royal College of Music in London where he studies piano with Andrew Ball and composition with Jonathan Cole. Victor is an active performer, and has appeared both as soloist and in chamber ensembles in Bucharest (including the Romanian Atheneum), London (including St. Martin-in-the-Fields), Paris, Berlin, Luxembourg, Brussels (Salle Flagey) and Abu-Dhabi. His works have been performed in London (including St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Steinway Hall), Bucharest (Romanian Atheneum), Germany, France and Belgium. Recently, Victor has had a piece premiered by the contemporary music ensemble Trio-Alto, led by the outstanding French saxophonist Daniel Kientzy. Notable collaborations include a poetry and piano recital with distinguished actor Ion Caramitru and a guest appearance in a concert given by renowned soprano Leontina Vaduva. Victor also appears regularly as soloist with orchestra, recent performances include concertos by Schumann and Beethoven in Romania. Victor has received guidance and advice from distinguished professors and artists in both piano - Peter Feuchtwanger, Pietro De Maria, Paul Badura-Skoda, Leslie Howard, Dimitry Alexeev, Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Jacques Rouvier, Rolf Hind - and composition - Anthony Turnage, Colin Matthews, Julian Anderson, Helmuth Lachenmann, Dan Dediu, Stefan Niculescu, Pascal Bentoiu.
Born in 1981 in Romania, Diana Ionescu begins her piano studies with Prof. Sanda Bobescu ,and after a few years with Prof. Olga Szell. Graduating from the George Enescu Music Highschool at 17 and from the National University of Music Bucharest at 22 ,she has received numerous scholarships from the Guildhall School of Music, the Ratiu Family Foundation and from City University which enabled her to continue her musical education in London first with Prof. Joan Havill and presently with Prof. Ronan O'Hora. She was awarded the First Prize in the 'George Enescu' Piano Competition, Bucharest 2001 a well as The 'Alexis Weissenberg' Prize in the same year. These achievements brought her into the attention of world famous musicians as Martha Argerich, Alexis Weissenberg,Ion Marin,Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and she received the opportunity to perform with great success in major venues throughout the world (in Switzerland, England, France, Belgium, Japan, Holland, USA, Spain,Austria etc.) and in important festivals such as Verbier Festival, Progetto Martha Argerich-Lugano, Kyoto Music Festival, George Enescu Festival, Beethoven Festival. She has recently recorded the Schumann Piano Concerto with the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, and successfully performed Schumann's Piano Quintet with the Belcea Quartet. She is grateful for the support of The Ratiu Family Foundation and The Leverhulme Trust.
First Prize winner of the International Competition held at the Niccolo Paganini Academy of Music in Genoa, Italy, the Romanian violinist Tudor Andrei is rapidly gaining a reputation as yet another bright talent emerging from Romania. He has been a winner of the Violin Romanian Olympics in two editions, as well as gaining many other national awards. In 1999 he toured Switzerland and Italy, and in 2005 Germany. He was invited to appear on various TV and Radio shows in Romania, including TVR1, the Romanian equivalent of the BBC 1 TV Channel, as well as an in depth interview on "Musicians of today, musicians of tomorrow", on Romanian Radio Cultural Channel.Tudor has already performed a large number of concerts in important halls in Romania. Since arriving in Britain, September 2005, Tudor has performed in venues such as Duke's Hall, Royal Academy of Music, Romanian Cultural Institute, University Women's Club, St. James's Church, St. John's Smith Square, William Goodenough Trust, St. John the Divine-Richmond. In December 2006 he had his debut at St. Martin's in the Fields, followed by invitations to play at the White Hall and Foreign Press Club. He has also performed at events organized by European Commission & the European Parliament, for World Poetry Day, the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, performance broadcasted by BBC and RAI, as well as an exciting Recital in a capsule of the London Eye to celebrate Europe Day, filmed by a team from the European Broadcasting Service. Tudor Andrei is currently involved in his 3rd year at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studies violin under the guidance of Remus Azoitei and is very generously supported by the Ratiu Foundation UK. Between September 2006 and June 2007, Tudor was "artist-in-residence" at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London. He plays an italian violin made by Giovanni Cavani, aprox. 1890's kindly loaned from Mr. Cristian Sima.
Romanian violinist Lucia Marica is currently pursuing her Master's Degree as a student of Jacqueline Ross at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, in London. Previously, she has been a 4-year full scholarship student of the Royal Academy of Music, working with Remus Azoitei. Over the years, Lucia has won prizes and awards at several national and international competitions, including "Jeunesses Musicales" - Bucharest 1995, as well as "Remember Enescu"- Sinaia 2000. She has been a featured soloist of the Transylvanian Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2005 she had her London debut at the St. Martin in the Fields. Together with her brother cellist and sister pianist, Lucia formed a Piano Trio ensemble, successfully appearing in concerts and recitals within Hungary, Romania and UK. They are the 1st Prize and Grand Prize winners at the "Spring of Arts" Competition in Romania. Over the years, Lucia has been kindly supported by the Ratiu Family Foundation in London.
A finalist of the 2008 Eurovision Young Musicians, violist Mihai Cocea is a student of professor Paul Silverthorne at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Born in 1990 in Bucharest, Mihai graduated from the "George Enescu" High School as a student of professor Dumitru Ene. Since then, he has been a winner of national and international awards including the Grand Prize and Best Performance of a Contemporary Work at Icon Arts in Breaza in 2005, as well as a Special Prize at Icon Arts Cisnadie 2006. He has participated in various masterclasses, with Ladislau Csendes, Marius Ungureanu, Yuval Gotlibovich, Bruno Giuranna, Razvan Popovici and Endre Guran. He has also participated in international schemes such as: Summer Young Violinist Camp din Wroclaw, Poland, Melting Potes Musik, Nimes, France, Sampling Bukarest, Vienna, Austria, Intercultural Exchange, Beijing, China, as well as in the SONORO-International Chamber Music Festival, in 2007. As a chamber musician and an orchestra player, he has collaborated with Youth Orchestra Wroclaw, Poland in 2005, CEY-Youth Orchestra, in 2006-2007, and EUYO-Youth Orchestra in 2008. Mihai has performed with his quartet in concerts organized by the Principe's Margareta of Romania and "Masca" Theater in the program "The City beneath the City". He has given recitals in the "Sutu" Palace, "George Enescu" Museum and the Romanian Atheneum. Mihai Cocea plays on a Salomon viola made France in 1780, kindly lent to him by the Royal Academy of Music
Born in Romania in 1984, Andrei Simion has started his musical education in Bucharest, and in 2000 he was offered a full scholarship to study at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. After four successful years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the guidance of Louise Hopkins, he has decided to continue his studies at the Guildhall on a Masters course. Andrei has recently been awarded the ECO Duchess of Cornwall Award, and has, over the years, won various National and International competitions. He has appeared in recitals and chamber music concerts in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Hall, The Atheneum, St.John's Smith Square. Andrei's most recent engagements include playing Schumann Concerto with the Iasi Philarmonic, and concerts with his 'Marzocco Ensemble' in England and Germany. Andrei has been kindly supported by the Ratiu Family Foundation in London. He is playing on a cello by an unknown maker kindly lent to him by the Benslow Trust.
Born in 1989, Chinese violinist Shuai Shi
started learning the violin at the age of 5, when she became a student
of The Primary & Middle School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory
of Music. In 2005, she won the 1st Prize of the 12th International
Violin Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest, being also the winner
of the 1st Concerto Competition of Shanghai Music Middle School. Just a
year later, in 2006, she won the 3rd prize in the 12th Henryk Wieniawski
International Violin Competition in Poland, as well as the 3rd prize at
the 12th Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists
Senior Section in France.
Shuai has been a top winner of the Shanghai Talented Student of
Excellence in Art twice, being also the recipient of several other
awards and scholarships of Shanghai. Last year, she won the Music
Education Award from MBF of London. She has performed in China,
Singapore, Canada, Romania, Poland, and France, and has also appeared in
a series of benefit concerts in Shanghai. Currently, Shuai is full
scholarship, 2nd year undergraduate student of Remus Azoitei at the
Royal Academy of Music in London.
The Enescu Society is a project of the Romanian Cultural Institute set up in 2007 under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Margarita of Romania.
The institute runs the Enescu Society Concerts Season from October to June, on the first Thursday of each month. The concert stage of the Institute hosts outstanding musicians performing George Enescu's music alongside an international repertoire.
From September 2009 the Romanian Cultural Institute awards the Enescu Society sholarship to a student at the Royal Academy of Music. The first scholarship winner is pianist Karim Said.
When: Thursday, 2 April 2009, 7-9 pm;
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, London
Admission is free but places are limited. Early booking is well recommended.
Please reserve your seats at T: 020 7752 0134, E: office@icr-london.co.uk.
Latecomers will be able to go to their seats in the interval.