Alexandra Ioana Dariescu (born 16 August 1985) is a Romanian British classical concert pianist, educator, mentor and producer. She is best known for her multimedia project ''The Nutcracker and I'' and her focus on promoting the works of female composers.

Early life and education

Dariescu was born in Iași,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, in 1985 where she started studying the piano at the age of 7 with Cornelia Apostol and Mihaela Constantin. Her concerto debut was at the age of 9 with the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 17, Dariescu won the

Constantin Silvestri Constantin-Nicolae Silvestri (; 31 May 1913, Bucharest – 23 February 1969, London) was a Romanian conductor and composer. Early life Silvestri, born of Austro-Italian-Romanian stock, was brought up mostly by his mother, his father dying fro ...

scholarship which led her to move to the UK to study at

Pocklington School Pocklington School is an independent school in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1514 by John Dolman. The school is situated in of land, on the outskirts of the small market town, from York and from Hull. ...

. In 2014, she was awarded the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) scholarship for her undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. Dariescu made her UK debut at the Bridgewater Hall in 2006, where she performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 15 with

André de Ridder André de Ridder is a German conductor of classical music based in Berlin and working all over the world. Work De Ridder studied conducting with Leopold Hager at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and with Sir Colin Metters at ...

and the

RNCM The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

Chamber Orchestra live on BBC Radio 3. She studied under Mark Ray, Nelson Goerner, Alexander Melnikov and

Dina Parakhina Dina Parakhina is a Russian pianist and teacher. Biography Born in Russia, Dina Parakhina studied at the Moscow Central School of Music with Tamara Bobovich and later at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Yevgeny Malinin. (She graduated at ...

, graduating in 2008 with 1st class Hons and the Gold Medal. Dariescu has been an

's Honorary Associate Artist since 2016 and their Associated Member since 2020. In 2008, Dariescu won the Young Concert Artist Trust competition (YCAT). In the same year, Dariescu started her Masters at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

with Ronan O’Hora and became the first pianist on the YCAT/

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

Philip Langridge Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...

Mentoring Scheme, mentored by Dame

Imogen Cooper Dame Imogen Cooper, (born 28 August 1949) is an English pianist. Biography Cooper was born in North London, daughter of the musicologist Martin du Pré Cooper and Mary Stewart, artist. She grew up surrounded by music through her parents and ...

. While at the GSMD, Dariescu won the Guildhall Wigmore Prize and graduated with Distinction and a Fellowship. She went back to study at the GSMD in 2016 for a one year course in Creative Entrepreneurship. Since 2012, Dariescu attended several times the

Verbier Festival The Verbier Festival is an annual international music festival that takes place for two weeks in late July and early August in the mountain resort of Verbier, Switzerland. Founded by Swedish expatriate in 1994, it has attracted international so ...

Academy, studying with

Dmitri Bashkirov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Башки́ров; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an in ...

Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler ( he, מנחם פרסלר; born 16 December 1923) is a German-born Israeli-American pianist. Pressler is Jewish. Following Kristallnacht, he and his immediate family fled Nazi Germany in 1939,

Gábor Takács-Nagy Gábor Takács-Nagy (born 17 April 1956,''International Who's Who in Classical Music'' (25th edition). Routledge (London), p. 807 (2009) (). Budapest), is a Hungarian violinist and conductor. He began violin studies at age 8. He attended the Franz ...

and was awarded the Verbier Festival CUBS Award. Dariescu studied with

Dominique Merlet Dominique Marie-Joseph Merlet (born 18 February 1938) is a French contemporary pianist, organist and music educator. Biography Born in Bordeaux, Dominique Merlet was a student of Roger-Ducasse, Louis Hiltbrand, and Nadia Boulanger. He won thr ...

at the Academy de Villecroze,

Philippe Cassard Philippe Cassard (born 12 September 1962) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Besançon, Cassard was trained at the Conservatoire de Paris where he won two first prizes, for piano (Dominique Merlet's class) and for chamber mus ...

at the Tibor Varga Academy in Sion, Sir András Schiff in New York, London and Gstaad and Boris Berman at the Holland Music Sessions. Dariescu has played with orchestras including the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...

, the

European Union Youth Orchestra The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is a youth orchestra with members drawn from the 27 members states of the European Union. Since its foundation in 1976, it has connected music colleges and the professional music world for generations o ...

, the

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953. It is most associated wit ...

, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the

Sichuan Symphony Orchestra The Sichuan Symphony Orchestra ( Chinese: 四川交响乐团; pinyin: Sichuan Jiāoxiǎng Yuètuán; abbreviated SSO) was established in 2002. The average age of musicians in SSO is 30, making it the youngest symphony orchestra in mid-western C ...

Professional career

Performances and repertoire

2012 Carnegie Hall recital debut. 2013 First female Romanian pianist to perform at the Royal Albert Hall with

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's Piano Concerto No. 5 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Debut with the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...

and

Vasily Petrenko Vasily Eduardovich Petrenko (russian: Васи́лий Эдуа́рдович Петре́нко; born 7 July 1976) is a Russian-British conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra, music director of the Ro ...

with

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

's Piano Concerto No. 2. 2015 Debut at the

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls in ...

, followed by debut in Poland with the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra and Ewa Strusinska. 2016 Japan debut at the Musashino Hall. Debut with the

Stavanger Symphony Orchestra The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra ( no, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Stavanger, Norway. The SSO principal venue is the Stavanger Concert Hall (Stavanger konserthus), performing in the Fartein Valen concert hall. ...

and

John Storgårds John Gunnar Rafael Storgårds (born 20 October 1963 in Helsinki) is a Finnish violinist and conductor. Biography Storgårds studied violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and continued his violin studies ...

in Norway, performing the Norwegian premiere of Alberto Ginastera's Concierto Argentino. 2017 Debut at the Musikverein performing

Dinu Lipatti Constantin "Dinu" Lipatti (; 2 December 1950) was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from effects related to Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy. He comp ...

’s Concertino and Grieg's Piano Concerto with the

Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra The Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra of Cluj-Napoca ( ro, Filarmonica de Stat Transilvania) has grown to be a valuable institution of music, having a sustained presence in the Romanian and European cultural space. History As an artistic in ...

and Gabriel Bebeselea. The same year, debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall (

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

's Piano Concerto No. 2);

National Radio Orchestra of Romania The Romanian Radio National Orchestra ( ro, Orchestra Națională Radio) is the symphony radio orchestra, part of the Romanian Radio Orchestras and Choirs. Concerts are held during all season at the Mihail Jora Concert Studio, well known as Sala ...

and

Cristian Măcelaru Cristian Măcelaru (born 15 March 1980, Timișoara, Romania) is a Romanian conductor. Biography Măcelaru is the youngest child from a family of 10 children. He studied violin as a youth. He continued his music studies in the United States at th ...

; Zuger Sinfonietta and Daniel Huppert ( Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27) and

Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra ( Finnish:''Tampere Filharmonia'') is a Finnish orchestra based in Tampere. Founded in 1930, and maintained by the municipality of Tampere since 1947, the orchestra is currently based in the Tampere Hall. The ...

and Michael Francis (

's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini). December 2017, premiere of own production of The Nutcracker and I for piano, ballerina and digital animations. 2018 USA, Canada and China tour: Debuts with the

Utah Symphony Orchestra The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

and Kazuki Yamada ( Grieg's Piano Concerto),

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...

and Marzena Diakun ( Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1) and

under Darrell Ang (

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's No. 1). The same year, first performance with Romanian soprano

Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu (; ; born 7 September 1965) is a Romanian soprano, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini and Verdi, widely recognised by critics and opera lovers as one of the greatest sopranos of all time. Embarking ...

at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

. 2019 Debuts with the

and James Gaffigan (

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

’s Fantaisie at the

Barbican Hall The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3);

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

and

Ion Marin Ion Marin (born 8 July 1960) is a Romanian-Austrian conductor. He is internationally renowned both in operatic and symphonic domains. Early life Born in Bucharest, son of choir conductor Constantin Marin, founder of the Madrigal Choir, Ion Marin ...

(

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

's Piano Concerto in G major); UK tour with the

Moscow Philharmonic The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953. It is most associated wit ...

and

Yuri Simonov Yuri Ivanovich Simonov (russian: Ю́рий Ива́нович Си́монов; born 4 March 1941 in Saratov, Soviet Union) is a Russian conductor. He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory under Nikolai Rabinovich, and was later an assistant c ...

(

's No. 2 and

's No. 1);

Tonkünstler Orchestra The Tonkunstler Orchestra (German: ''Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich'', ) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna and Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria. Origin of the name The orchestra's name has its origins in the ''Tonkünstler-Soziet� ...

and Ruth Reinhardt (

Ferdinand Ries Ferdinand Ries (baptised 28 November 1784 – 13 January 1838) was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos (the first concert ...

' Piano Concerto No. 3). The Nutcracker and I performances at the

. 2020 Before the pandemic, debuts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and

Jun Märkl Jun Märkl (born 11 February 1959 in Munich) is a German conductor. Biography Born to a Japanese pianist mother and a German violinist father, Märkl studied piano and the violin as a youth. Beginning in 1978 at the Musikhochschule Hannover he co ...

(

's G major);

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on f ...

and

Alexander Shelley Alexander Gordon Shelley (born 8 October 1979) is an Echo Music Prize-winning English conductor. He is currently music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, as well as principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic ...

( Grieg's Piano Concerto);

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall. The APO is the accompanying ensemble for performances by NZ Opera and the Royal New Zeal ...

and Giordano Bellicampi (

's No. 1);

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

recital with

. Norwegian

premiere with the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 18 ...

and

Fabien Gabel Fabien Gabel (born 10 September 1975) is a French conductor. Biography As a youth, Gabel began trumpet studies at age 6. He continued his music education at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he won a first prize ...

. Premiere of The Nutcracker - Reimagined with the

, a new production for piano, narrator, brass and dancers.

''The Nutcracker and I'' by Alexandra Dariescu for piano, ballerina & digital animation

''The Nutcracker and I'' is a multimedia performance for piano solo with dance and digital animation which Dariescu created and produced out of her ''"responsibility as a young artist to reach out to as many people as possible and to build bridges for those new to classical music"''. ''The Nutcracker and I'' premiered at Barbican’s Milton Court in December 2017 and went on tour across Europe, Australia, China, the Emirates and the US with more than 75 performances in venues such as the

Vienna Konzerthaus The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

, Laeiszhalle Hamburg,

Philharmonie Luxembourg The Philharmonie Luxembourg, also known officially as the Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall (french: Salle de concerts grande-duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte, german: Konzertsaal Großherzogin Joséphine-Charlotte), is a concert hal ...

, Auditorium Lyon,

, Konserthuset Gothenburg, King’s Place London,

Melbourne Recital Hall Melbourne Recital Centre is a venue for live music in Melbourne and welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classi ...

, Sydney City Recital Hall,

Shanghai Grand Theatre The Shanghai Grand Theater () is a complex located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Huangpi Road South in the northern part of the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. The building houses the Shanghai Opera House ...

, Dubai Opera House and Las Vegas Summerlin Library. ''The Nutcracker and I'' reached more than 70,000 people worldwide through the live performances and the 2018 released audio book of the same name, narrated by former BBC Blue Peter presenter and BAFTA winner,

Lindsey Russell Lindsey Russell (born 25 September 1990) is a British television presenter. She is best known for being the thirty-sixth presenter of the long running British BBC television programme '' Blue Peter'', which she co-hosted from 2013 to 2021 with Ba ...

. In 2019, ''The Nutcracker and I'' was shortlisted for the German Opus Klassik Awards in the youth development category, alongside nine nominees including projects by Daniel Barenboim,

Lang Lang Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...

and

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henri ...

Mentoring and teaching

Dariescu is a mentor and teacher, having given masterclasses and lessons in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Japan, China, South Africa and Canada She regularly speaks at conferences and sits on juries and panels: 2021: Awarded with the Order “Cultural Merit” in the rank of Knight from the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis 2021: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance: Jury member Alfred Kitchin Competition and Concerto Competition 2021:

Royal Over-Seas League The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit members' organisation with international headquarters in its clubhouse in central London, England. Founded by Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1910 as the Over-Seas Club, it was given a Royal Charter ...

: Jury member Annual Music Competition 2020—present: Beyond Borders (sessions on leadership, collaboration and orchestras’ relevance to society, through the eyes of a conductor) 2019:

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

: Speaker - ''Women in Music'' 2018—present:

Friends of Europe Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based, not-for-profit think-tank for European Union policy analysis and debate. The organisation, established in 1999, has no political or national allegiance and is independent of the EU institutions. Its declared ...

- Young European Leader, Arts and Culture (Working Group Member) 2018: Classical:NEXT Conference in Rotterdam (Netherlands): Speaker 2018: GSMD's Reflective Conservatoire Conference: Speaker ''Artists as citizens - Role of musicians in today’s world and how to incorporate multimedia in performances'' 2018: Received the “Officer of the Romanian Crown” from the Romanian Royal Family 2017: Music in Lyddington: Patron 2017: Royal Northern College of Music: Jury member Concerto Competition Finals 2016: Transylvania Festival: Director of Music and Board Member 2016: Young Concert Artists Trust: Speaker - ''Building networks in classical music'' 2016—present: Royal Northern College of Music: Honorary Associate Artist 2014—present: Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation: Foundation Ambassador

Discography

2019 Plaisir d'Amour.

& Alexandra Dariescu.

Decca Classics Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. In ...

2019 Complete Preludes, Vol. 3 Boulanger, Fauré & Messiaen. Champs Hill Records 2018 The Nutcracker and I, by Alexandra Dariescu audiobook. Signum Classics 2016 Emily Howard Mesmerism for piano & orchestra / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. NMC Records 2016 Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 / Nutcracker Suite with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Signum Classics 2015 Complete Preludes, Vol. 2 Shostakovich & Szymanowski. Champs Hill Records 2013 Complete Preludes, Vol. 1 Chopin & Dutilleux. Champs Hill Records 2012 Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. Champs Hill Records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dariescu, Alexandra 1985 births Living people Expatriates in England Romanian classical pianists Women classical pianists Musicians from Iași Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century women pianists