Șerban Nichifor (born 25 August 1954) is a Romanian composer, cellist and music educator.

Biography

Șerban Nichifor was born on 25 August 1954 to Ermil Nichifor (1916–1997) and Livia Nichifor, née Balint (1922–2017) in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, Romania. Both his parents were physicians. His father was also a musician and conductor of the Orchestra of Physicians in Bucharest.Nichifor, Șerban (2017)
Homage to my Mother

IMSLP The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public domain, public-domain sheet music, music scores. The project use ...

Nichifor studied at the National University of Music Bucharest from 1973 to 1977 and took composition courses in 1978, 1980 and 1984 in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

, Germany. In 1994, he received a Ph.D. in Musicology from National University of Music and from 1990 to 1994, also studied at the Theology Faculty of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

.Cosma, Octavian
"Nichifor, Şerban"

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

. Retrieved 23 April 2013 . In 2015, he was awarded a PhD

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in conducting, and wrote a thesis ''SHOAH – The Holocaust Reflected in My Musical Creation''. He has composed many works dedicated to the victims of

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. According to musicologist Octavian Cosma, Nichifor's eclectic style is based on

neoromanticism The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in philosophy, literature, music, painting, and architecture, as well as social movements, that exist after and incorporate elements from the era of Romanticism. It has been used ...

but has included elements of jazz (in his Third and Fourth Symphonies) and the use of tape recordings as in his opera ''Domnişoara Cristina''. In the 1990s, he "developed a simplified style employing themes reminiscent of Byzantine chant." Music of Șerban Nichifor is performed by leading musicians from all around the world. In February 2022, the Russian premiere of his work "Cries from Earth to Heaven" performed by Anastasia Vedyakova and Anastasia Bykova, took place. Nichifor is a professor at the National University of Music. He married the late Romanian musician and composer Liana Alexandra in 1978. They performed together as cellist and pianist in the Duo Intermedia from 1990 and were co-directors of the Nuova Musica Consonante – Living Music Foundation Festival.

Prizes and honors

Among Nichifor's prizes and honors are the 1977 Gaudeamus International Composers Award and the Belgian Order of the Crown (conferred in 2008).

Principal works

Opera, symphonic, vocal-symphonic and visual music *"Constellations" for Orchestra (1977) *Symphony I "Shadows" (1980) *Cantata "Sources" (1977) *Cantata "Gloria Heroum Holocausti" (1978) *Opera "Miss Christina" (libretto by Mircea ELIADE,1981) *Symphony II "Via Lucis" (1985) *Symphony III "American Symphony – I" (1986) *Symphony IV "American Symphony – II" (1987) *Symphony V "Pro Patria" (1987) *Symphony VI "Time Archways" (1988) *Cantata "Remember" (1988) *"Missa da Requiem" (1990) *Chamber-Opera "Talaria" (libretto by Etienne DE SADELEER, 1994) *Cantata "Per Christum" (1997) *"Concerto GRIEGoriano" for Piano and Orchestra (1997) *Chamber-Opera "Le Martyre de Saint Claude Debussy" (libretto after Claude Debussy and E.A.Poe, 1999) *Symphony VII "Cello Memoirs" (2001–2003)Nichifor, Șerban (2001–2003)
Symphony VII “Cello Memoirs”

*"Cries from Earth to Heaven" – to the Holocaust martyrs (2007)Nichifor, Șerban (2007)
Cries from Earth to Heaven

*"Tribute to Joseph Smith, The American Prophet" – visual music (2005–2007)Nichifor, Șerban (2005–2007)
Tribute to Joseph Smith

*Shoah – music dedicated to the Holocaust martyrs (2010–2013)Nichifor, Șerban (2010–2013)
Shoah – music dedicated to the Holocaust martyrs

*Pentagon – visual music (2010)Nichifor, Șerban (2010)
Pentagon (visual music)

*God Bless America! – visual music (2010) Nichifor, Șerban (2010)
God Bless America! – visual music

*Symphony VIII "Tom & Huck" (2011–2012) Nichifor, Șerban (2011–2012)
Symphony VIII Tom & Huck

*Symphony IX "God Bless Romania" (2016) Nichifor, Șerban (2016)
Symphony IX God Bless Romania

*Piano Concerto No.2 (2016) Nichifor, Șerban (2016)
Piano Concerto No.2

*Homage to my Mother (dedicated to Dr. Livia Balint-Nichifor) (2017) Chamber, choral, and vocal music *"Postludium" per Organo (1975) *"Sorcova" per Coro Misto a capella (1995) *Quartetto per Archi I – "Anamorphose" (1976) *"Carols" per Trombone e Percussione (1978) *"Invocatio" per Flauto e Celesta (1979) *"Canto di Speranza" per Flauto, Violino, Viola, Cello e Pianoforte (1981) *"Onirophonie" per Fl., Vn.e Pf. (1982) *"Chanson d'Antan" per Vn.e Pf.(1983) *"Carnyx" per Clarinetto (1984) *"Tango for Yvar" per Pf.(1984) *Quartetto per Archi II – "Vallons de l'Oubli" (1984) *"Aprite le porte di questo castel" per Coro Maschile (1984) *"Morendo" per Cb. e Pianoforte (1985) *"6 Melodies Irlandaises d'Amerique" per 2 Ob., C.i. e 2 Fg. (1985) *"Czarna Rosa" per Mezzo-Soprano e Pf. (1986) *"7 Canti Rumeni di Natale" per 4 Trombe, 4 Tromboni ed Organo (1986) *"Horn Call Rag" per Corno e Pf. (1986) *"Ave Maria" per Soprano ed Organo (1987) *"Isola di Euthanasios" – Sonata "sopra acqua e pietra" per Pianoforte (1988) *"Transgressio" per Fl., Ob. e Fg. (1989) *"Battuta" per Percussione (1989) *"Il nome della rosa" for violoncello and piano 4 hands (1989) *"Lacrimosa" per Tenore e Pf. (1989) *"Meditatio"per Organo (1990) *Missa "Actio Gratiarum Oecumenica" per Coro Misto a capella (1991) *"Natalis Domini" per Coro Misto a capella (1992) *"Isihia" per Cello (1992) *"Epiphania" per Cello e Pianoforte (1993) *"Rorate Caeli" per Soprano ed Orchestra da Camera (1994) *"Medium per Arpa" (1995) *"Medium per Flauto" (1995) *"3 Christmas German Chorals" for Organ (1997) *"Hommage a Debussy" per 2 Pf. – ossia Pf. e Nastro Magnetico (1998) *"La Nuit Obscure" per Orchestra da Camera (1998) *"Invocation a Themis" per Sax. Alto (2001) *"Isihia" for violoncello and tape (2002) *Tu es Sacerdos (To my Mother Dr. Livia Nichifor) (2017)Nichifor, Șerban (2017)
Tu es Sacerdos

Discography

* Șerban Nichifor, Liana Alexandra, Anton Șuteu, ''Anamorphose'', ''Incantații II'', ''Culori'', – Cvartetul Gaudeamus, Formația Musica Nova, LP, Electrecord ST-ECE 01694 * "Olympia Romanian Concert" – "Four Tablatures for Lute by Valentin Greff Bakfark" by

Sigismund Toduță Sigismund Toduță (17 May 1908 in Simeria – 3 July 1991 in Cluj-Napoca) was a Romanian composer, musicologist, and professor. Biography Toduță graduated from the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art in Cluj in 1936. His instructors inclu ...

, "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" by

Paul Constantinescu Paul Constantinescu (; 30 June 1909, Ploiești – 20 December 1963) was a Romanian composer. Two of his main influences are Romanian folk music and Byzantine chant, both of which he used in his teaching. One of his students was composer Margar ...

, "American Symphony No.4 – From West to East" by Șerban Nichifor, Audio CD, Olympia, London, OCD 417 * ''Video Music Cyberart – Liana Alexandra, Șerban Nichifor'' – ''12 Variations'', ''Infinite Song'', ''Sticky Dances'', Video DVD, Electrecord EDVD 001, Licență Nr. RO8AV20500382 *''Music from Romania and Belgium'': Cesar Franck, Jacques Leduc, Raoul De Smet, Boudewijn Buckinx, Liana Alexandra, Șerban Nichifor – Duo Intermedia, Șerban Nichifor (cello) and Liana Alexandra (piano), Editura Muzicală, Poziție catalog 038, Licență U.C.M.R.-A.D.A. 5AF081508184 * ''Luxembourg Sinfonietta – World Premiere Recordings'', “La Nuit Obscure”, Audio CD, Editions LGNM, No. 401, BP 828, L-2018 Luxembourg * ''

60x60 60x60 is a collection of 60 electroacoustic or acousmatic works from 60 different composers/artists, each work 60 seconds or less in duration. 60x60 project showcases sixty new works, each sixty seconds or less, by sixty composers in a continuo ...

'' (2004–2005) Vox Novus VN-001 * ''60x60'' (2006–2007) Vox Novus VN-002Eddins, Stephen. Review: ''60x60 2006–2007''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

References

Further reading *Tartler, Grete (1984). ''Melopoetica''. Editura Eminescu *Tyrrell, John and Sadie, Stanley (eds.) (2001). "Nichifor, Şerban", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', Second Edition, Volume 17, pp. 865–866. Macmillan Publishers Limited

External links

* *Centrul de Informare Muzicală din România – CIMRO
Şerban Nichifor
*National University of Music Bucharest
Serban Nichifor
*Romania-on-line, ''Who's Who''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichifor, Serban 1954 births 20th-century Romanian classical composers 21st-century Romanian classical composers Ballet composers Gaudeamus Composition Competition prize-winners Living people Romanian male opera composers National University of Music Bucharest alumni Academic staff of the National University of Music Bucharest Postmodern composers Romanian classical cellists Romanian opera composers 20th-century Romanian male musicians 21st-century Romanian male musicians Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) 20th-century cellists 21st-century cellists