{"id":1994,"date":"2021-03-01T23:07:56","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T22:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/about-me\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T15:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T13:29:13","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"About Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

About Me<\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

THE ESCAPE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Since my early childhood I have loved classical music, and already as a little Carmen I couldn’t get enough of the Beethoven and Mozart records that my Mum – then a sound engineer at Bucharest\u2019s radio station – brought home to me. Soon a piano also entered the house, and these 88 keys became the centre of my life and my great love.<\/p>

When I was 7, my parents fled from the Ceausescu regime with me. We escaped via Israel and Italy to Germany, which then became our new home. There we had a piano even before we had furniture – a beautiful small \u201cBechstein\u201d on which I tried to copy my idol Arthur Rubinstein.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

From music college to life in a band and back again<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

At the age of ten I was accepted by Prof. Ulla Graf as a junior student at Aachen Academy of Music. In the years that followed I won numerous competitions and awards, played concerts in an orchestra and as a soloist. When I turned 18, I no longer wanted to be limited by genre boundaries and rules anymore, neither in music nor in life. The next ten years I was a keyboardist in various bands, this was a moving, exciting – and yes, even crazy time. Good music touches the soul, no matter what genre it is supposed to belong to. My soul is touched by Debussy, Poulenc, Brahms and Chopin, but also by Chick Corea and Bill Evans. And so I started studying piano at Cologne Academy of Music and graduated with honours.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

In the musical city of Leipzig<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Then I made my home in Leipzig. In this wonderful city of music I played with soloists from the Gewandhaus, the MDR Orchestra and Sinfonia London, and I made friends for life. In Leipzig I discovered my passion for song accompaniment through fantastic singers like Carolin Masur or Laetitia Grimaldi Spitzer. There I also got to know the wonderful pianist Irwin Gage, who supported and inspired me for several years in his master classes in Florence. A special award for the best Poulenc interpretation at the International Grieg Competition in Oslo for piano duo with pianist Juliane Tautz crowned this period of my life in music.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

On Unconventional Solo Paths in the Rhineland<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Eventually, in 2011, I was drawn back to the Rhineland. Since then, I have been living and teaching in Cologne. It was here that I recorded my first solo CD “Kaleidoscope of Life”; here that I met clarinetist Pamela Coats, with whom I released *Paris mon Amour*; and here that I found the GOLDKORN ensemble, with whom I create genre-spanning music that touches the soul.<\/p>

My collaboration with the label Prospero Classical began with “The Voice of Piano” (2024), an album of song arrangements. “Shapes of Water” \u2013 a musical homage to the essence of water: still, flowing, powerful, and ever-changing \u2013 will also be released there in the autumn of 2025.<\/p>

Straight paths and pre-marked trails have always been suspect to me. That is how I found my own path \u2013 full of detours, wonderfully unconventional. “Detours broaden one’s knowledge of a place” \u2013 Kurt Tucholsky knew that long ago.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201c\u2026sparklingly brilliant, profound, and captivating.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Jan Sting, K\u00f6lnische Rundschau 1\/26<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201e\u2026meistert die fingerbrecherischen Herausforderungen mit Leichtigkeit und Eleganz.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Klassik Heute 1\/26<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201eMehr Rubinstein als Benedetti Michelangeli sozusagen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Fono Forum 4\/26<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Stefanescu f\u00fchrt uns hochvirtuos und mit Pianistischer Vollkommenheit durch diese Welt. Sie l\u00e4sst uns h\u00f6ren, dass viele der Inhalte und die Intensit\u00e4t der Musik mit ihrem Leben verbunden sind. So ergibt sich eine in der heutigen Klavierwelt seltene Harmonie zwischen technischer Perfektion und inhaltlichem Erleben. Sie ist die gro\u00dfe Verwirklichung des urmusikalischen und urk\u00fcnstlerischen Gedankens.”<\/em><\/p>

Aus Pianist 3\/24 \u00fcber \u201eThe Voice of Piano\u201c<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Das Verbl\u00fcffende: Carmen Stefanescu \u00fcberzeugt wirklich in jedem St\u00fcck dieser breiten Stilvielfalt. Sei es romantische Innigkeit, sei es impressionistische Traumwelten, seien es Varianten aus der Folklore: sie durchdringt differenziert die jeweiligen Ausdrucksformen. Ein Doppelalbum, mit dem man immer wieder gerne auf Klangreise gehen m\u00f6chte.”
<\/em><\/p>

Aus Concerti 5.8.24<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Mit diesem Album kn\u00fcpft Stefanescu gekonnt an das kantable Spiel der gro\u00dfen, romantischen Pianisten wie dem von ihr zutiefst verehrten Arthur Rubinstein an. Und zeigt, dass man auch auf dem Fl\u00fcgel singen kann \u2013 wenn man nur wei\u00df, wie.”<\/em><\/p>

Aus Rondo 4\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“In weit gef\u00e4cherten Liedtranskriptionen\u2026 zeigt Stefanescu auf Anhieb ihr immenses Gesp\u00fcr f\u00fcr Kantabilit\u00e4t, agogisch flexibles und atmendes Gestalten, aber auch f\u00fcr sensitive, atmosph\u00e4renreiche Klangschichtungen.”<\/em><\/p>

Aus Piano News 6\/24<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201eCarmen Stefanescu \u2013 eine klangsensible, in ihre Kl\u00e4nge hineinhorchende Pianistin, die mit Debussys \u201eImages\u201c das Publikum verzauberte und aus der \u201aHommage \u00e0 Rameau’ geradezu ein musikalisches Narkotikum machte. Ein begl\u00fcckender Abend.”<\/em><\/p>

Aachener Volkszeitung<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About Me THE ESCAPE Since my early childhood I have loved classical music, and already as a little Carmen I couldn’t get enough of the Beethoven and Mozart records that my Mum – then a sound engineer at Bucharest\u2019s radio station – brought home to me. Soon a piano also entered the house, and these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1994","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1994"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3459,"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1994\/revisions\/3459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carmenstefanescu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}