One of the most celebrated voices of contemporary opera, the Wiener Staatsoper star Valentina Naforniţa, winner of the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, graces our Belgravian musical stage with a gala recital honouring the National Day of Romania.
The event, part of the 'Enescu Concerts' Series, opens with introductory remarks by H.E. Mr. Dan Mihalache, the Romanian Ambassador to the Court of St James's.
Also featuring award-winning pianist Sergiu Tuhuţiu.
Valentina Naforniţa won the coveted BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2011 where was also the recipient of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize. In 2011/12 season she joined the Wiener Staatsoper and immediately became one of their brightest rising stars, acclaimed for her explosive vocal ability and irresistible stage presence. In 2012 she made a successful debut as Gilda in "Rigoletto" at Teatro alla Scala under Gustavo Dudamel and soon after she was called to sing the same role as her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Valentina made the news in Austria by singing in the prestigious Vienna Opera Ball, which was broadcast to over 1.5 million people. At Staatsoper, she featured in all great soprano roles such as Adina in "L'elisir d'amore", Pamina in "Die Zauberflöte", Musetta in "La bohème" or Susanna in "Le nozze di Figaro". In August 2015, Naforniţa performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in a recital alongside Roger Vignoles, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. She has worked with such leading conductors like Bertrand de Billy, Guillermo Garcia Calvo, Karel Mark Chichon, Gustavo Dudamel, Ádám Fischer, Louis Langrée, Jesús López-Cobos, Cristian Mandeal, Ingo Metzmacher, Kazushi Ono, Evelino Pidò, Peter Schneider, Franz Welser-Möst, Simone Young and Massimo Zanetti. Recently, the fantastic soprano has toured China with the BBC Concert Orchestra and has appeared in a televised broadcast from Beijing. Born in Glodeni, Republic of Moldova, Valentina Naforniţa graduated from the Stefan Neaga Music College in Chisinau in 2006 and continued her training at the National University of Music in Bucharest under the tutorage of Maria Slatinaru-Nistor and Eleonora Enăchescu.
Winner of Debut to Master Soloist Piano Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia (2013), Sergiu Tuhuțiu established himself as one of the leading pianists of his generation. He holds two Master degrees from Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Stuttgart and Gheorghe-Dima Academy of Music, Cluj-Napoca. He is also a graduate of the National University of Music, Bucharest. In 2011 he received a scholarship at London Masterclasses and in 2013 he was awarded with Artist Diploma by the Royal College of Music, London. He has studied with outstanding musicians like Norma Fisher, Bruno Canino, Igor Blagodatov, Nina Seregina, Konrad von Abel, Dana Borșan, Steluța Radu, Daniel Goiți and Shoshana Rudiakov. Sergiu Tuhuțiu had his debut at the age of eighteen with Dinu Lipatti Philarmonic Orchestra from Satu-Mare, playing the Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, and has since appeared in concerts on main stages in England, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Brasil, Canada and Romania. Passionate about chamber music, he also shared the stage with remarkable musicians like Șerban Lupu, Ruxandra Donose or Nelly Miricioiu. Since 2010 he has been president of the Lipatti Music Production Association. Celebrating the greatest Romanian pianist, he organised a highly acclaimed event, In Memoriam Dinu Lipatti, broadcast on Romanian national radio and television. Following this succes, he founded two new projects, Leading Young Musicians and Piano Colours. Currently residing in London, his recent performances include his debut in Russia at the St. Petersburg Philarmonic with Mendelssohn's 1st Piano Concerto conducted by Vladimir Fanshil.
When: Friday, 2 December 2016 from 19:00 to 21:00
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute - 1 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8PH
Entrance is free but it is required to book your ticket on Eventbrite.
Please note that the seating is unreserved.
