“A full and luminous sound, immense pianistic poise, sensibility, an originality without overwhelming ego” (Alain Lompech).

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR # SHARPFESTIVAL BUCHAREST

Artist in Residence “George Enescu” Philharmonic Bucharest 2021-2023

Artist in Residence “Banatul Philharmonic” Timisoara 2023-2024

Daniel Ciobanu first appeared on the international stage in 2016 after sweeping gold medals at the renowned Unisa International Piano Competition (South Africa) and BNDES International Piano Festival (Rio de Janeiro). Daniel then went on to win both the Audience Prize and Silver Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv in 2017. He subsequently appeared at Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Konzerthaus Berlin, St John’s Smith Square in London, Enescu Festival in Bucharest, and toured in Japan, China, Taiwan, South Africa and Brazil.

Ciobanu’s distinctive musical personality and technical command has led to performances with renowned orchestras such as Gewandhausorchester Leipzig where he has performed under the baton of Omer Meir Wellber. Recent and future highlights include debuts with the Netherlands Philharmonic, Mineria Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester, Volksoper Wien, and Tiroler Symphony Orchestra, as well as concerts at the Enescu Festival with Cameristi della Scala, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Israel Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In recital, highlights include performances at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Brucknerhaus Linz, Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier and a semi-staged performance of Strauss’ Enoch Arden at the Leipzig Gewandhaus with Isabel Karajan.

Previous highlights include concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Konzerthausorchester Berlin; Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen; Polish Baltic Philharmonic; Israel Camerata; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; George Enescu Philharmonic, Romanian National Radio Orchestra and at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. In April 2022, Ciobanu stepped in with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for four significant dates in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with Omer Meir Wellber. In August 2021 Ciobanu made his Lucerne Festival recital debut and he was invited for his Vienna Konzerthaus debut, playing Beethoven violin and piano sonatas with Julian Rachlin.

Ciobanu also made his Royal Festival Hall debut in 2010, and since then he has given solo recitals in venues such as Munich Gasteig, Salzburg Mozarteum, De Bijloke in Gent, Auditorium de Radio France, Salle Cortot, Fazioli Hall in Sacile, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Bucharest Atheneum, Duszniki Chopin Festival, Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv and the Taipei National Concert Hall.

Ciobanu’s artistry extends beyond his performances and in 20/21 he was announced as the first ever Artist in Residence at the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest for a period of three seasons. His opening season of residency included concerts under Cristian Macelaru and Gabriel Bebeselea.

Furthermore, Daniel is a visionary and has created a fresh and innovative international platform for young artists, founding the #SharpFestival. The biennial festival features not only classical programming but also embraces other sympathetic art forms, including jazz, video-mapping, painting, and dance.

In September 2020 he released his first CD, a solo disc of works by Prokofiev, Debussy, Liszt and Enescu, which was released on the Accentus label. It received outstanding critical acclaim including the following quote from Deutschlandfunk: “With this debut album, Daniel Ciobanu introduces himself as a clever and extremely emotional artist. A closer look reveals the clever conception and careful thought about the pieces. Musically, the narrative will of the pianist absolutely grabs one’s attention, and nothing stands in the way of his technical ability. With Daniel Ciobanu, music becomes an experience”.

In 2015 he received the 1st Grand Prix, Public Prize and Orchestra Prize at the Morocco Philharmonic International Piano Competition – becoming the first pianist in the history of the competition to have won all the Special Prizes along with being unanimously voted by the jury for the Top Prize.

Ciobanu started learning the piano at the age of nine in Piatra Neamt, Romania, initially with Magdolna Cosma and Delia Balan, and later with Mihaela Spiridon and Iulian Arcadi Trofin. He went on to win scholarships to study in Scotland with Graeme McNaught and subsequently with Aaron Shorr and Petras Geniusas, graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He completed his studies at the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot” in Paris with Marian Rybicki and in the Universität der Künste in Berlin with Pascal Devoyon and Markus Groh.