Carmen Stefanescu (RO)

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Carmen Stefanescu was born in Bucharest, Romania, where the foundation of her musical education was formed. At the age of four she took her first piano lessons and just two years later was accepted to the Liceu de Musica, the main conservatory in her native city. After fleeing Romania with her family, she settled in Germany where she continued her piano education at the Hochschule für Musik Aachen as a pre-college student. There, she worked and improved intensively between the ages of 11 and 17 under the guidance of Professor Ulla Graf, gathered numerous prizes in national and local competitions, and made her solo orchestral debut at 12 years of age with Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in D major.

Already at a young age, Mrs. Stefanescu proved to be a multi-talented and versatile musician, showing great skill and interest beyond the boundaries of the standard classical performance repertory. At age 18, she took leave of piano study to explore new styles and widen her artistry. A successful career spanning ten years as a pianist, keyboardist, and studio musician followed, during which she toured worldwide with renowned rock and pop bands. Thanks to this experience, she became a traveler between musical worlds, as can be heard in many of her recordings and present performance projects.

Mrs. Stefanescu eventually resumed her studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Aachen where she was awarded her Diploma with the highest distinction (cum laude). She then furthered her education with Helmut Deutsch in Munich, played regularly in master classes for Bruno Canino (Trio di Milano) in Milan, and learned Lied accompaniment from Irwin Cage in Zürich and Florence.

Carmen Stefanescu has performed together with internationally renowned artists such as Stephan Picard (Berlin), Ann Shih (Toronto), Massimo Paris (Cologne), Cornelia Grohmann (1st solo flutist of the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig), and Zsolt Visontay (1st Concertmaster of the Philharmonia London). She has toured and played in countries such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway, and has concertized in prestigious halls such as the Beethovenhalle in Bonn, the Spiegelsaal in Stuttgart and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.

In 2003, she was invited to work as an accompanist and assistant for the master classes of Mariana Sirbu at the International Campus of Music in Sermoneta (Italy). In 2003, and in cooperation with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Theater Altenburg-Gera, she performed Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition under the direction of Gabriel Feltz and in conjunction with the Youth Concert Series.

Carmen Stefanescu's unique ability to master and perform different genres has led her from solo and chamber music collaboration to the world of Lieder accompaniment and Chanson. As a collaborative pianist, she has played recitals with the mezzo-soprano Elvira Dressen (Berlin Staatsoper), the soprano Christine Maria Rembeck (Freiburg), and has had a prolific duo partnership with Iane Reisenauer, a prominent chanson singer. Together with the cellist Lukas Dreyer she founded the duo Con Passion, which has realized many imaginative projects: a CD production with music from Latin America in 2005, a chamber music series with French repertoire and poetry by Baudelaire at the Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig in 2007, and chamber music projects as a part of the Wave-Gothic Festival in Leipzig since 2007.

Carmen Stefanescu first began teaching whilst completing her degree in Aachen. Nowadays she is a successful, experienced, and very sought-after teacher. Her students have won numerous prizes locally and state wide, as well as in national competitions such as the German-Polish Hiller Competition. At the German national music competition Jugend Musiziert, her students have consecutively been awarded first prizes in the past few years, both in the Leipzig and State divisions for both the piano solo, piano and strings, and piano and winds categories.