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Silvan Negrutiu, piano
Hailed as “a startling and authentic pianist displaying rich imagination and brilliant vigor, whose precision and splendor of keyboard sound certainly inspire a transcendental reality” (The Musical News Journal, Bucharest),a pianist who “shines in his ability to capture the mood, the color, the very character of each piece while still maintaining a sense of the whole” (Fanfare), Silvan Negruţiu has performed on major international stages, from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC to Ireland's National Concert Hall, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Xi’an Concert Hall in China, the Showa Recital Hall in Tokyo, and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
A laureate of numerous international piano competitions, including the Rome and Salerno (Italy), the Seiler (Bulgaria), the Feis Ceoil (Ireland), and the Konzerteum (Greece), Silvan Negruțiu has appeared as soloist with prestigious orchestras, such as the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Alicante Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic, and Dublin Symphony Orchestra. He is the recipient of the 2016 Rising Star Award from Shenandoah Conservatory, the 2009 Gaiety Award in Ireland, the Romanian Government Fellowship in 2007, the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research Award of Excellence in 2002, and the 2001 Eugen Barbu Award for excellence in performing activity.
Silvan Negruțiu enjoys commissioning new music, having most recently performed and recorded the world premières of Bruce Reiprich’s When Evening Is Still, Robert Chumbley’s Five Bagatelles& Songs of the Siren, and Zack Stanton’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble. His latest album, Bagatelles (Centaur Records, 2021), featuring works by Beethoven, Alexander Tcherepnin, Carl Vine, and Robert Chumbley, has garnered rave reviews by Fanfare Magazine and American Record Guide, and his collaboration with Japanese violinist Akemi Takayama on the album Carl Roskott: Works for Violin (Centaur Records, 2018) was recognized with a Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement by Global Music Awards.
In demand as a performer, clinician, adjudicator, and speaker, Silvan Negruțiu appears frequently as an artist-teacher at international music festivals across Europe, America, and Asia. He has been praised for his innovative programming in concerts and recordings, which often combines mainstream and rare piano repertoire. He promotes the music of Romanian composers, with a primary focus on George Enescu and Constantin Silvestri. In 2020 he performed virtual concerts at the invitation of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and the George Enescu National Museum in Bucharest, celebrating the anniversaries of Enescu and Silvestri. His recent performance projects included concerts celebrating Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, thematic recitals featuring piano bagatelles and Romanian composers, and appearances on the Horizons Series (Flagstaff, AZ), Kirkland Series (Decatur, IL), Musical Arts Series (Durant, OK), Enescu Soirées (New York, NY), Keys to Excellence Series (Des Moines, IA), and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series (Chicago, IL), broadcast live on Chicago’s classical music radio station, WFMT.
As an artist, a teacher, and a scholar, Silvan Negruțiu embraces the exploration of innovative music pedagogy, rare piano literature, and the advancement of arts entrepreneurship in higher education. He is often a featured speaker and performer at regional, national, and international conferences, including those presented by the Music Teachers National Association, National Association of Music Merchants, and College Music Society. He holds piano performance degrees from Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia (D.M.A.), the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Dublin City University in Ireland (M.M.), the Romanian National University of Music (B.M.), and the Dinu Lipatti Music School in Bucharest, where he studied with John O’Conor, Viniciu Moroianu, and Magda Stănescu.
Silvan Negruțiu serves as the Michael and Karen Kitt Endowed Professor in Piano, Associate Professor,and Director of Piano Studies in the Kitt School of Music at Northern Arizona University. Heis the founder and Artistic Director of Flagstaff Piano Festival and Northern Arizona Piano Competition. Prior to joining the NAU faculty, he was Chair of Keyboard & Instrumental Studies at Millikin University, and has taught at Shenandoah Conservatory and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.