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Violinist Mihai Craioveanu to Perform at Carnegie Hall

Posted December 28, 2001

HOLLAND -- Hope College faculty member Mihai Craioveanu is about to take the national stage, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Craioveanu, a violinist, has been invited to perform in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 22, as part of the prestigious MidAmerica Concert Series.

He will also give a preview of his concert for a select audience at the invitation of the Romanian ambassador in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Jan. 17.

Already well-known in the Holland area as an outstanding conductor, Craioveanu recently left his position with the Holland Symphony Orchestra to focus on his solo career.

West Michigan audiences are being treated to two opportunities to hear Craioveanu perform his recital before playing in New York. He is to perform at Hope College's Dimnent Chapel on Friday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m.

The public is invited. Admission is free. In addition, on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m., he will perform at Grand Valley State University in the Cook- DeWitt Center on the university's Allendale campus. The public is invited, and admission is free.

The concerts feature four works, beginning with Maurice Ravel's "Sonata for Violin and Piano." Craioveanu will also perform a sonata by Cesar Franck, "Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano."

"Variations on 'The Last Rose of Summer' for Solo Violin" by Heinrich Ernst is his third piece. Craioveanu will end the performances with a Romanian piece by George Enescu, "Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 11."

Accompanying Craioveanu is pianist Mansoon Han, who joined the Hope College faculty this year.

Craioveanu's performances have already earned him international acclaim. He has performed in London, New York, Paris, Washington, Barcelona, Cleveland, and Bucharest. He has also been broadcast on major American television networks, as well as on European and Australian television. In addition, he has been featured on the international radio stations Free Europe and Voice of America.

His first recording, "Introducing Violinist Mihai Craioveanu," was released to critical acclaim in 1997 during his concert tour of Spain. The CD is currently available on Amazon.com, and at the Hope-Geneva Bookstore.

Craioveanu is professor of violin and viola at Hope College, where he is also a founding member for the Anchor Trio.

Born in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu, Romania, Craioveanu is an active promoter of his native land's rich musical heritage. He has returned to Romania many times to be an active part of the music scene, and has performed as a soloist with many of the leading orchestras in the country.

Craioveanu was educated at the University of Music in Bucharest, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he won the coveted international Concert Recital Diploma. He joined the Hope faculty in 1992.

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