St Pancras Clock Tower concert
Romanian national
UK resident
Born in Bucharest, Mihai Ritivoiu is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, most notably the George Enescu International Competition.
Born in Bucharest, Mihai Ritivoiu is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, most notably the George Enescu International Competition.
“I have heard many recitals on this piano but rarely have I been aware of the glow and subtle sheen of sound that was hidden within…” Christopher Axworthy
Mihai leads an international career performing solo and chamber music recitals in Europe and Asia, and has played concertos with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the MDR Leipzig Radio Orchestra. He collaborated with conductors such as Joshua Weilerstein, Robert Trevino, Michael Collins, Cristian Mandeal, Christian Badea and Horia Andreescu. He has been invited to play at prestigious festivals, including Young Euro Classic in Berlin, George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, St Magnus International Festival, and appeared on stages such as Cadogan Hall, Barbican Centre, Konzerthaus Berlin, Studio Ernest Ansermet Geneva and the Romanian Athenaeum and Radio Hall in Bucharest.
Regularly invited to play on BBC Radio 3’s programme ‘In Tune’, his performances have been broadcast on Radio Romania Muzical, Radio Television Suisse and Medici TV. His debut album “Transcendence” with solo works by Franck, Enescu and Liszt has been praised as “beautifully recorded, handsomely played – a solo recital to cherish” (The Arts Desk).
A graduate with the highest honours from the National University of Music in Bucharest and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, Mihai studied with Professors Viniciu Moroianu and Joan Havill. He has taken part in masterclasses and lessons with Dmitri Bashkirov, Dominique Merlet, Emmanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Jean-Claude Pennetier and has been mentored by Valentin Gheorghiu and Christopher Elton. Most recently, he has pursued directing from the keyboard with Ricardo Castro at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole.
In addition to his solo recitals and concerto appearances, Mihai has a rich chamber music activity. His partners have included Corina Belcea, Antoine Lederlin, Roland Pidoux, Oleg Kogan and Alexander Sitkovetsky. He forms a duo with the cellist Yoanna Prodanova, with whom he has performed in the United Kingdom, France and The Netherlands. Their first album as a duo, with works for piano and cello by Chopin, Fauré and Janacek was recently released on the Linn Records label.
Mihai is a City Music Foundation artist and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He has received generous support from the Liliana and Peter Ilica Foundation for the Endowment of the Arts, Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation and Ratiu Family Charitable Foundation.
