The Enescu Society in London has invited young and talented Romanian musicians to give a recital in this established concert series: Marciana Buta (violin), Lucia Marica (violin), Mihai Cocea (viola), Andrei Simion (cello), Alexandra Dariescu (piano) and Florian Mitrea (piano).
Programme: G. Enescu: Piano Trio " Sérénade Lointaine" J. Brahms: Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60 R. Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44
Marciana Buta - violin Born in 1987, Marciana started playing the violin at the age of 6. She had solo master classes with professors Marianne Thorsen, Gyorgy Pauk, Yfrah Neaman, Menahem Breuer, Thomas Brandis, Daniel Podlovski, Tasmin Little and Max Zorin. Among her chamber music coaches were Philip Dukes, David Strange, Dr. Ioan Davies, Simon Rowland Jones, Howard Davies, Christopher Rowland, David Dolan, Ani Schnarch, Itzhak Rashkovksy, James Boyd and Robert Max. She won various prizes such as the First prize in the Romanian National Competition in 1999, 2000 and 2001and she was the Overall Winner of the Mid-Somerset Festival in 2002. She participated in various festivals such as the Cheltenham International Music Festival, 2005-2006 and the International Arts Festival of Shanghai, 2005. She played solo in Oslo, in 1997 and 2005. Also, she went on tours with the Wells Cathedral School Chamber Orchestra in Shanghai, in 2005, and with the European Union Youth Orchestra, in 2006, in Kazakhstan, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland, with conductors such as Sir Colin Davies, Herbert Blomstedt and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2008, she went on a tour with an EUYO string quartet at the European Parliament in Bruxelles, Belgium, as a Romanian representative. She plays a Paolo Magginni violin kindly lent by the Royal Academy of Music.
Lucia Marica - violin Lucia Marica started playing the violin at the age of 7 under the guidance of Adrian Tarta and Adrian Cardan at the Sigismund Toduta School of Music from Cluj-Napoca. Lucia has won prizes and awards at several national and international competitions, including "Jeunesses Musicales" - Bucharest 1995, International Competition from Brasov 1996 - 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. Together with her brother cellist and sister pianist, Lucia formed a Piano Trio ensemble, successfully appearing in concerts and recitals and were invited to perform for "The Musical Evening of Iosif Sava", a high audience cultural TV show, nationally broadcast all over Romania. Lucia had recitals within Romania, Hungary and France, and in 2005 she had her debut at the St. Martin in the Fields. In 2004, Lucia has been a 4-year full scholarship student of the Royal Academy of Music, working with Remus Azoitei, and currently she is pursuing her Master's Diploma as a student of Jacqueline Ross at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Over the years, Lucia has been kindly supported by the Ratiu Family Foundation, Edith Vogel Bursary and The Stanley Picker Trust.
Mihai Cocea - viola A Third Prize Winner of the "Watson Forbes" International Viola Competition and 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. He has been a winner of national and international awards, including the Second Prize at the Delius Competition, London in 2008. He 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 2007-2010 with whom he appeared on the National Romanian Radio, National Romanian Television and on BBC Radio 3 playing amongst great musicians such as: Alexander Sitkovetsky, Diana Ketler, Razvan Popovici and David Cohen. As a chamber musician and 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 Cocea plays on a Salomon viola made France in 1780, kindly lent to him by the Royal Academy of Music.
Andrei Simion - cello Born in Romania in 1984, Andrei started his musical education in Bucharest. In 2000, he was offered a full scholarship to study at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. After six 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 Essen Hochschule, Germany, with Professor Christoph Richter. Andrei has recently been awarded the ECO Duchess of Cornwall Award, was Highly Commended in the Beethoven Society Duo Competition, and has, over the years, won many National and International competitions. He has appeared solo, as a duo partner and as a chamber musician in recitals and chamber music concerts in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Festival Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Halls, St. John's Smith Square, St. James Palace. Andrei's recent engagements include playing Schumann Concerto with the Iasi Philharmonic, and chamber music concerts in Germany, Holland, Sweden, and England.
Alexandra Dariescu - piano Alexandra is quickly establishing herself as one of the most versatile pianists of her generation. Selected by Young Concert Artist Trust in 2008, Alexandra immediately went on to winning the prestigious Prix Maurice Ravel at the Academie Internationale de Musique Ravel in France. Alexandra's busy 2009/2010 season includes concerto performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia ViVA, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nottingham and York Symphony Orchestras, performing Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Beethoven 3 and Mozart K 414 with the European Union Chamber Orchestra in Germany. In June, Alexandra will be appearing at St John Smith Square in London with the newly formed International Orchestra for Freedom in Tchaikovsky Concerto no 1. Solo appearances include Verbier Festival and Academy in Switzerland, return visits to the Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Holywell Room and Jacqueline du Pre Hall in Oxford, Bath, Exeter, Leicester International Festivals and City of London Festival. Alexandra graduated from the RNCM with first class honours and the prestigious Gold Medal and is currently studying at the GSMD with Ronan O'Hora. www.alexandradariescu.com
Florian Mitrea - piano Born in Bucharest, in 1989, Florian is one of the top pianists of his generation, winning the First Prize in the Romanian National Music Olympics (for three years consecutively), the Grand Prize in the "Ada Ulubeanu" Piano Competition, the Prize of Excellence in the J.S. Bach Competition in Cluj and many other distinctions. In 2005, he won the Third Prize in the "Jeunesses Musicales" International Piano Competition. In December 2007, Florian has been offered a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. He is a laureate of the Lilian Davies, Harriet Cohen, Frederick Delius and Harold Craxton RAM Competitions and was the runner-up in the Jaques Samuel RAM heat 2009. Florian has also worked with internationally acclaimed pianists Angela Brownridge, John Lill and Boris Petrushansky. Chamber music has been one of the highest priorities for Florian. He has been working on chamber music repertoire with Diana Ketler, Simon Crawford-Philips, Michael Bochman and Michael Dussek. Florian was awarded the Sonoro Chamber Music Festival Scholarship twice (2007 and 2009). He performed along the famous artists, Alexander Sitkovetsky and David Cohen. He is member of a prize-winner ensemble of the Royal Academy of Music (the Mitrea Piano Quartet) and co-founder of the "Impeto" Duo.
The Enescu Society was established by the Romanian Cultural Institute 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.
When: Thursday, 6 May 2010, 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 admitted at the interval.