Mihaela Ursuleasa, piano

The unique blend of vivacious play and lyrical talent made Mihaela Ursuleasa one of the most remarkable pianists of her generation. Born in Brasov, Romania in 1978, the daughter of a gypsy fiddler, she was drawn to classical music at a very early age. In 1990, she withdrew from the stage and concentrated on her scholastic, musical and piano education, now in her adopted country in Vienna, Austria. Mihaela Ursuleasa reaped the fruits of this decision when she won the highly acclaimed Clara Haskil Competition in 1995.

Event organisers from around the world were immediately attentive, and recitals in the most significant music metropolises followed, such as in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie Cologne, Konzerthaus Vienna, Tonhalle Zí¼rich and in the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York. Daniele Gatti, Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Marek Janowski, Andris Nelsons and Mark Albrecht were among the conductors who valued Mihaela for her emotional depth in the music world. Orchestras such as the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, Bern Symphony-Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, CBSO, Weimar Staatskapelle, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Symphony Orchestra welcomed her as a guest soloist. Moreover, she performed at a great many international festivals including the Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival, StyriateGraz, the Beethoven festivals in Warsaw and Bonn, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York.

As an ardent chamber musician, Mihaela Ursuleasa performed with artists such as the cellist Sol Gabetta (CD recording for Sony/BMG) and the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja (CD recording for Naive), and she was also a highly esteemed lied accompanist. In 2010, her debut solo album, “Piano & Forte” (-edel- CLASSICS) received the ECHO Klassik award in the “Solo Recording of the Year” category (19th century, piano). Her second solo album “Romanian Rhapsody” was released in March 2011.

Mihaela Ursuleasa died on August 2, 2012, in Vienna, her adopted city, of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 33.