Andrei Ioniță
Gold Medal at Tchaikovsky Interational Competition 2015
Second Prize at 63rd ARD International Music Competition 2014
First Prize at Aram Khatchaturian International Competition 2013
First Prize at David Popper International Cello Competition 2009
“…a fully individual musical personality…with a sparking technique and the priceless ability to respond to what is going on around him while he is displaying it.”
– The Guardian
“one of the most exciting cellists to have emerged for a decade,”
– The Times of London
Andrei Ioniță is one of the world’s most admired cellists of his generation. The Times of London calls him “one of the most exciting cellists to have emerged for a decade”; the British Gramophone “a cellist of superb skill and musical imagination and a commitment to music of our time.” Ioniță was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1994. He first became a student of Ani-Marie Paladi and later of Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin. In 2015, he won the Gold Medal at the internationally renowned Tchaikovsky Competition. He became a laureate of ARD, Hachaturian and Feuermann competitions. From 2016 to 2018, the BBC of London awarded him the title of “New Generation Artist”, which promoted his popularity in the UK. Following that, Andrei held performances with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Andrei Ioniță has collaborated with an extensive network of European orchestras, among them the Munich and Dresden Philharmonic, the German Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Belgique, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as his appointment to “Artist in Residence” with the Hamburg Symphonic Orchestra in the season of 19/20.
His musicianship led him on tours through the US, where he performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Romania, the Detroit, San Diego and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras. Over the span of his career, he worked jointly with famous conductors such as Cristian Macelaru, Sylvain Cambreling, Kent Nagano, Omer Meir Wellber, John Storgårds, Joanna Mallwitz and Ruth Reinhardt.
Andrei Ioniță’s exceptional talent makes of him a versatile and sought-after performer of chamber music. In his concerts, he joins forces with Martha Argerich, Christian Tetzlaff, Sergei Babayan,and Steven Isserlis among others. He is often invited to world-class concert venues and festivals within the world of classical music. “The music magically develops and flows out to the audience where it speaks directly to the soul”, says Ioniță.