Lenuta Ciulei Atanasiu

Artist Associate of Applied Music
Director, Chamber Ensemble
Specialty: Violin and Viola

lciulei@camden.rutgers.edu
(856) 225-6176

Biography

Lenuta Ciulei Iis an internationally-acclaimed violinist and has appeared as soloist with major orchestras in 35 countries across 5 continents. She has been a featured artist at numerous international festivals, including the Enescu, Marlboro, Santander, and South American Contemporary Music Festival, and has presented gala concerts for the presidents of N. Korea, Venezuela, Italy, China, Romania, Brazil and the Philippines, the English and Spanish Royal families and diplomatic corps of numerous Embassies worldwide. Ms. Ciulei has been praised as “one of the greatest European violinists” (El Pais-Madrid) , “a poet of the violin… an angel singing” (La Libre Belgique, Belgium), playing “brilliantly with an especially beautiful sound” (Philadelphia Inquirer”), “passionately, with complete technical mastership” (“La Stampa” – Genova),  with “sparkling, exceptional technique, astounding, amazing” (“Uusi Suomi Helsinki), and as “especially colorful, with great authenticity” (“Beijing Ribao”, China).  Trained at the National University of Music in Romania, she studied solo and chamber music throughout Europe with H. Szering,  R. Ricci, Andre Gertler, Szimon Goldberg, Rafael Druian, the Tel Aviv and Tokyo String Quartets and the Beaux Arts Trio, as well as training in Baroque performance practice and conducting. She remains the youngest first prize winner of the “Premio Paganini”, and has also claimed first prizes in the “M. Abbado” (Milan) and  “T. Varga” (Switzerland) International Violin Competitions, the title Grão-Mestre da Ordem de Rio Branco, conferred by the President of Federal Republic of Brazil, and the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts’ Solo Recitalist Award.

A passionate teacher,  Ms. Ciulei has been invited to give solo, orchestral and chamber music master classes for string instruments in Universities across 5 continents.  As a respected pedagogy, she coordinates events with notable international artists and composers.  Students have gone on to professional careers as soloists, orchestra musicians, and teachers worldwide. She has been an Aresty Research Foundation Mentor for Rutgers State University (New Brunswick) since 2009, and has received a certificate of recognition as an outstanding educator from the University of Chicago. Professor Ciulei is Artistic Director of Orvieto Festival of Strings, attracting exceptional young artists and faculty from 17 countries and 4 continents, and Associate Director of the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra.  Ms. Ciulei served also as Artistic Director for Virtuosi de Caracas Chamber Orchestra and appeared as conductor and soloist on their  tours in Italy and Spain. She has been a juror in many international competitions, including the “Premio Paganini”,  “Michelangelo Abbado”, and “Anemos” International Violin Competitions, as well as numerous young artists’ competitions in the United States.