Acclaimed Violinist Irina Muresanu to perform Beethoven Sonatas for Violin

The Evelyn Danzig Haas '39 Visiting Artist Program is proud to present the Beethoven Violin Sonatas in a series of four recitals featuring Irina Muresanu, violin and Professor Ann Sears, piano. The first, Cycle I, will take place on Wednesday, November 5 and the second, Cycle II, on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. both in the Beard Gallery in Watson Fine Arts. The recitals are open to the public without charge.
Praised by the Boston Globe as ''not a virtuoso, but an artist,'' and by the Strad magazine for her ''first-rate'' debut recital at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Irina Muresanu has won attention as an outstanding young violinist through numerous appearances as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Ms. Muresanu's performances were named among ''the best [performances] of 1997'' and ''of 1999'' consecutively by the Boston Globe; her recital (with pianist David Deveau) presented by the prestigious Emerging Artist Series of BankBoston Celebrity Series in Boston was on of the ''top 10 [musical events] of 1999'' listed by the TAB magazine. Ms. Muresanu has appeared in concerts as soloist with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Metropolitan Orchestra in Montreal, the Boston Philharmonic, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Transvaal Philharmonic in Pretoria, South Africa and has been heard in major concert halls around the world, including Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Theatre Maissoneuve in Montreal, Theatre des Beaux-Arts and Opera Monnaie in Brussels, and the Hong Kong's Academy of Performing Arts.
She has been recently invited to play in Rockport Festival in Massachusetts, Reizend Music festival in Netherlands, Festival van de Leie in Belgium and performed concerts in association with the Piatigorski Foundation. This season, Ms. Muresanu will release an Albany Record CD that features the Marion Bauer's Sonata for Violin and Piano and a VPRO Radio CD with works of E. Korngold. An active chamber musician, Ms. Muresanu recently joined the Raphael Trio. Together, they presented last season the complete Beethoven trios cycle in New York, Washington D.C. and Boston.
Ms. Muresanu's impressive list of competition awards include top prizes and awards in the Montreal International Competition, Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition, UNISA International String Competition, Washington International Competition, Pro Musicis International Award and Schadt String Competition. She is the 1997 recipient of the Presser Music Award, the International Kate Kinley Memorial Fellowship from University of Illinois and the Arthur Foote Award from Harvard Musical Association. Ms. Muresanu was awarded Special Commendation award for her recording of Schoenberg's Phantasy for violin and piano at the 3rd International Vienna Modern Masters Performers Recording Competition.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Ms. Muresanu currently serves on the faculties of the Preparatory School of the New England Conservatory and the Music Department at M.I.T. She is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the New England Conservatory in Boston where she studies with Michele Auclair. Ms. Muresanu holds a Masters degree from University of Illinois and recently completed the Artist Diploma program at the New England Conservatory. Ms. Muresanu plays an 1856 Joseph Rocca violin and a Charles Peccat bow, courtesy of Mr. Mark Ptashne of New York.
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