Andrei, Adrian

#AdriandAdrian Andrei was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1977.  At the age of 9 he started playing the guitar under the guidance of his elder brothers Constantin and Aurelian. Between 1991 and 1995 he studied at the music high-school (now National Music College) "Dinu Lipatti" in Bucharest, and made his debut as performer and composer on national stages. From 1996 to 2001 he was a student at the Music Academy "Gheorghe Dima" in Cluj-Napoca where he met his mentor, Professor Dan Voiculescu, who initiated him in the art of composition. At the same academy, Adrian studied guitar with his brother, Professor Constantin Andrei; harmony with Professor Adrian Pop; and music aesthetics with Professor Pavel Pușcaș.

Andrei won major prizes in national music competitions and took part in masterclasses with distinguished musicians and teachers including, among others, Magnus Andersson, Carlo Marchione and Claire Stancu Delerue. From 2001 he embarked on an intense period of activity as a guitar teacher, starting at Music High-School "Sigismund Toduță" in Cluj-Napoca, followed by Art Music High-School in Oradea, École de Musique de Temiscouata (Canada, Québec), House of Arts (UAE, Al Ain) and finally, from 2008, at Music School no. 3 in Bucharest where he heads the department of guitar, viola and cello.

In 2002 he published his first collection of works for solo guitar at MPC Music Publisher in Cluj Napoca .  Since then he has released more than 60 volumes for guitar solo, duo, trio, quartet, and ensemble; chamber music with guitar; and two guitar concertos at Starborn Music (UK), Arpeggione (Romania), Guitarissimo (Sweden) and Les Productions d'Oz (Canada). As a performer, he has built a distinguished carrier through solo recitals and by playing chamber music with his brothers (Trio Andrei), Adrian Naidin and Mihaela Andrei.

In 2014 he founded the Guitar Association VALAHIA; and he has instigated three music competitions - Guitar Steps, Early Music Autumn and Singing-Guit - to raise the profile of classical guitar in Romania.  A wide-ranging selection of his compositions and performances can be found online at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=adrian+andrei+guitar 

Andrei’s music published by Bergmann Edition is accessible and melodic, rigorously composed, and highly engaging for the player and listener. Some pieces evoke the unique tonalities of his native Romania, with its subtle Eastern inflections, while his ‘Three Sonnets’ speak a pure early Renaissance musical language.