Calin Grigoriu
Romanian musician, classical and electric guitarist, arranger & composer currently living in Paris.
He studied guitar at the National University of Music Bucharest in the class of Master Ion Mihaiescu - a professor who shaped him musically, helped him expended his musical universe by intensive chamber music classes and gave him the meaning and understanding of the instrument, without which (according to his own opinion) it would have been impossible to approach a diversity of musical genres. In 2008 he finished his studies with a Master Degree in Chamber Music.
In 2001 he had the chance to be part of Catalina Buzoianu's project, Odyssey 2001 with which he toured extensively all around the Mediterranean countries, and from there the world of theater opened up to him. He has a career full of interesting collaborations with Horatiu Malaele in "Leonce and Lena", Gelu Colceag in "A dream in the middle of summer", Teodora Herghelegiu in a musical based on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and as well as other independent artists and theatres.
In 2008 he joined the Mozart Rocks project, an extraordinary opportunity to perfect his orchestral writing techniques, where he was not only the soloist in a large number of concerts both in the country and all over Europe, but he also wrote the orchestral arrangements. A similar collaboration, that confirms his authentic professionalism born out of passion, was the one with the renown guitar player Steve Vai and the Evolution Tempo Orchestra with whom he toured worldwide in 2013.
In addition to personal projects, such as "Calin Grigoriu Electric Trio" - dedicated to the art of electric guitar and improvisation, "Autumn Baroque Trio" (with Cezar Cazanoi - flute and Calina Epuran - cello) - a tribute to baroque art through the spirit of chamber music, Paracelsus Duo (with Andrei Kivu - cello) - a real tour de force through musical eras, from Vivaldi to Debussy, from Bach to Enescu, he has a rich list of collaborations, arrangements and composition of theater music, recording and performing sessions with pop, rock and jazz artists, the most important being the one with Teodora Enache with whom he has been playing and recording for several years, their collaboration being essential for the crystallization of her musical ideas.
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Andrei Kivu
Romanian cellist, born in Bucharest currently living in Paris.
Graduated of the National Music Academy of Bucharest, he attended the improvisation master-classes of George Lewis (professor at the “Columbia University”), the master-classes in "Advanced Composition and Musical Analysis" by Aurel Stroe and numerous harmonic singing master-classes/workshops/retreats with David Hykes in New York, Paris and Bucharest. He has been an “Artist in Residence” in Mons, Belgium (2000) and Royaumont, France (2013).
Andrei Kivu performed as a soloist accompanied by Orchestre Royal de Wallonie (Mons, Belgium), The NYU Orchestra (at the Lincoln Center, New York, USA) the Polish National Radio orchestra and Katowice New Music Orchestra (Warsaw, Poland), Romanian National Radio Chamber Orchestra, Romanian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, “Philharmonia” Orchestra, “Traditions Musicales Francaises” Orchestra and many others. His music and performances were live broadcasted on WNYC (New York), Radio Suisse Romande – Lausanne, S.D.R.S. – Bern (Switzerland), ORF 1 (Austria), Radio Warszawa (Poland), Helsinki 1 (Finland), Radio France, Romanian Radio and many others.
He has an extremely wide range repertoire: from Gregorian to contemporary music.
Andrei Kivu has a teaching experience of more than 25 years, the most important being the collaboration with the NYU (guest professor in 2003, 2005, 2007) and with the “Givat Ram” Music Academy of Jerusalem, Israel (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2019) and The Royal Conservatory of Madrid (2018).
He won numerous prizes and distinctions such as the “2003 award by the I.N.M.C. (International Consortium of New Music) for “Outstanding Activities as Performer, Teacher and Music Organizer (NYU, New York, U.S.A.), the 2004 “Excellency Prize" by the “Musical Actuality” magazine, the “2006 UNITER Prize” 2006, the Originality Prize of the Cluj Jazz Festival (2005) and the “2002 Uchimura Prize” (from “UNESCO”).
Andrei Kivu is a founder and member of the “Pro Contemporania” ensemble (1989), founder and member of the “Free Sound International Ensemble” (2002), member of “Hyperion” ensemble, co-Founder (2004) and Artistic Director of “MultiSonicFest” (the only festival in Romania devoted to improvisation and fusion/cross-over music). In 2018 he founded “Paracelsus Duo”, together with the exceptional guitarist Calin Grigoriu.
Since 2001 he is a member of the “International School of Ki” (London) and since 2007 he is a member of “Harmonic Presence Foundation” (New York).
He appears as a soloist and/or guest star on more than 25 CDs and DVDs, with a wide international distribution, the most important being the collaboration with the prestigious label “Mode Records” (New York, USA). He recorded hundreds of hours as a soloist and/or with his ensembles, for the Romanian Radio and other radio-stations world-wide.
Andrei Kivu. has been extensively touring in Japan, USA, Canada, Israel, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Poland, Pakistan, Albania, Greece, Finland, Sweden, Denmark.
He had the privilege to play/study/record/work with great artists, such as: David Hykes, Sigfried Palm, Claude Delangle, Daniel Kientzy, Martine Joste, Alejandro Iglesias Rossi, Evan Parker, George Lewis, Leonor Leal Chamorro, Juerg Solothurnmann, Franziska Baumann, Chris Cutler, Tim Hodgkinson, Byron Wallen, Stephane Gallet, Agnes Baltsa, Sarah Brightmann, Nanae Yoshimura, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Teodora Enache Brody, Yoshiki, Ali Asghar Rahimi…
Andrei Kivu is the first Romanian cellist to play all 6 Bach’s Suites for solo cello in one concert (Paris, 2009). He is also the first cellist in the world to transcribe and play Bach’s Sonatas & Partitas for violin…
He is the only Romanian cellist ever to be invited to play at the Royal Festival Hall (London), Lincoln Center (New York), Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), Wiener Konzerthaus (Vienna), and to great festivals such as "Wien Modern” (2002, Vienna, Austria), "Warsaw Autumn" (2003, 2007 - Poland), the" ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) – World Music Days” (1999, 2003, 2006), Parramasala (Sydney, Australia).
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