Experience freshness and virtuosity – discover a rising generation of pianists!
Don’t miss a dynamic piano recital featuring a new generation of rising Romanian musicians, organised in partnership with ARTA CLASICA Cultural Association (Iași), led by Professor Ioana Stănescu.
Bringing together five gifted young pianists – Maria Rîznic, Casandra Artene, Luca Vulpe, Mihnea-Constantin Nichifor and Ioana Chiriac – this recital highlights remarkable emerging talent at the outset of promising international careers. All five performers are pupils and students of leading Romanian music institutions and laureates of numerous national and international competitions, with appearances at notable festivals such as Palermo Piano City (2025) and the Lugano Festival (2024, 2025).
The recital is part of the third edition of the Youth International Musical Performance Recital project, an initiative that has already established a strong European presence since its debut in 2023, with performances in cities including Iași, Brașov, Bucharest, Padua, Rome and Palermo. The London event continues this trajectory, offering a compelling programme that brings together cornerstone works of the piano repertoire alongside Romanian compositions.
Programme:
Maria Rîznic
Frédéric Chopin – Étude in F major, Op. 25 No. 3; Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Casandra Artene
Johann Sebastian Bach – Two-Part Invention in A minor, BWV 784
Carl Czerny – Étude in C major, Op. 299 No. 11
Luca Vulpe
Maurice Ravel – Jeux d’eau, M.30
Marțian Negrea – Three Romanian Sketches: II. Nocturno
Sigismund Toduță – Passacaglia
Mihnea-Constantin Nichifor
Franz Liszt – Transcendental Étude No. 12: Chasse-neige, S.139
Mily Balakirev – Islamey, Oriental Fantasy, Op. 19
Ioana Chiriac
Frédéric Chopin – Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22
Maria Rîznic (b. 2006) is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at the George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași under Ioana Stănescu. She has performed in national and international recitals in Romania, Italy and Moldova, and has won prizes at competitions including the Janina Romanska-Werner Competition (Cracow), Transilvania International Musical Competition (Cluj), Colors of Chopin (Warsaw), Milan Piano Talents and Gonzalo Soriano (Alicante). She has received special awards for interpretations of Chopin and Bach, and a 2024–2025 scholarship from the Romanian National Union of Music Performers supported her artistic development. Maria has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Jean Baptiste-Doulcet, Ana Telles and Jesu de Solaun, and has performed at Piano City Palermo and other prestigious venues.
Casandra Artene (b. 2015) is a pupil at the Octav Băncilă National College of Arts in Iași, having studied piano since age six. Known for her expressive style and interpretative maturity, she has performed recitals in Iași and Rome, conveying her personal musical voice with sensitivity and passion.
Luca Vulpe (b. 2007) is a student at Carmen Sylva Arts College in Ploiești under Professor Anca Borcea. He has won numerous national and international competitions, including the Ambassadorii Culturali (Ploiești), Paul Constantinescu National Competition, and Craiova Piano International Competition. In 2024–2025 he continued to achieve top prizes in Romanian national competitions and festivals.
Mihnea-Constantin Nichifor (b. 2008) began piano studies at George Apostu National Arts College. Under the guidance of Ioana Stănescu, he has distinguished himself with virtuosity and precision, earning multiple awards at national and international competitions including Propiano Romania, Transilvania Competition (Cluj), Gonzalo Soriano (Spain), Stockholm International Music Competition (Sweden) and Young Musician International Competition Città di Barletta (Italy).
Ioana Chiriac (b. 2001) is a Master’s student at the George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași with Ioana Stănescu. She has won prizes at competitions including Les Rencontres Internationales des Jeunes Pianistes (Brussels), Simone Delbert-Fevrier (Nice), Frederic Chopin International Competition (Bacău) and Jeunesses – Dinu Lipatti International Competition (Bucharest). A frequent soloist in Romania and abroad, she has performed at prestigious venues including Ateneul Român, Filarmonica Moldova Iași, Accademia di Romania in Rome, and Piano City Palermo, collaborating with international artists and participating in masterclasses with Jesús Gómez, Frank Havrøy, Gunnar Flagstad, Adela Liculescu and Jesu de Solaun.
Ioana Stănescu is a distinguished pianist and lecturer, currently teaching at the George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași. She studied under Stela Drăgulin and graduated top of her class in 1999, completing her Master’s in 2001 and earning a Doctorate in Music in 2007 from the National University of Music, Bucharest. She has given masterclasses at leading conservatories across Europe, including in Palermo, Padua, Cagliari, Göteborg, Évora, Alicante, Granada, Malaga, Tenerife, Vigo, and Nicosia, as well as at numerous music colleges in Romania and Moldova. Ioana has performed in prestigious venues internationally, from Piano City Palermo and Accademia di Romania in Rome, to the Romanian Embassy in Paris and major concert halls in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Cyprus. A dedicated educator, she founded Asociația ARTA CLASICĂ, mentoring numerous students who have won national and international competitions and performed widely. Since 2012, she has been a member of EPTA Romania (European Piano Teachers Association) and regularly serves on juries for prominent competitions. She has also published university courses and studies on piano interpretation, including works on Claude Debussy and Beethoven.
The ARTA CLASICA Cultural Association, founded in Iași by Professor Ioana Stănescu, initiates, develops and coordinates cultural projects in collaboration with institutions and organisations both in Romania and abroad. The Association supports the promotion of young artists on their journey towards artistic and cultural maturity, organising concerts, recitals, masterclasses, and other cultural activities aimed at highlighting the national cultural heritage within a contemporary global context. Guided by a comprehensive vision and a dedicated mentorship ethos, and drawing on over 25 years of continuous activity, Ioana Stănescu undertakes an intensive programme of teaching and cultural education both nationally and internationally. She delivers masterclasses at music colleges and schools in Constanța, Suceava, Ploiești, Buzău, Galați, Bistrița, Bacău, Botoșani, Focșani, Piatra-Neamț, Tulcea, Brăila, Cluj-Napoca, Sfântu Gheorghe, the Voineasa Piano Camp, and at Alecu Russo State University in Bălți, as well as at the Ștefan Neaga, Alexei Stârcea, and Ciprian Porumbescu music schools in Chișinău (Republic of Moldova). She has also delivered courses internationally, including in Palermo, Padua, and Cagliari (Italy), Göteborg (Sweden), Granada, Vigo, Gran Canaria, Alicante, Malaga (Spain), Évora (Portugal), and Nicosia (Cyprus).
When: 22 April, 7.30 PM
Where: RCI London, 1 Belgrave Square SW1X 8PH
Book HERE
