Back in 1998, in a city called Galati, Romania, a family of talented musicians were just moving into the city. They were coming from Moldova in search for better opportunities. 

 

It so happened that their car broke down one day and the closest car repair service belonged to a man called Ion. They went in and the husband asked for his car to be repaired. Ion welcomed the couple and happily repaired their car however it took a few days for it to be finished and it was a costly service that they didn't have the financial means for. As Ion was aware of their situation and knew that moving away from your native country in search for better opportunities is difficult enough, he decided to offer them back the car, fully repaired for free as a gesture of kindness.

 

The couple was very thankful for the gesture and keen to return somehow the favour to him. The husband was a piano tuner and involved in business with piano sellers and even manufactures so he arranged to gift Ion and his family an upright piano in return for repairing their car. Ion gladly accepted and asked for lessons for his daughters, Anda and Nicoleta, which the wife offered as she was a great piano teacher, and little did they suspect what that meant for Nicoleta.

 

This is how at the tender age of 3, Nicoleta started her destined musical journey.

 

Valentina Popovciuc was the one that thought Nicoleta all about the piano. She was Nicoleta's first and most admired piano teacher as well as almost a second mother to her. For many years they spent countless hours together practicing and learning. Nicoleta was endlessly inspired by Valentina's way of teaching. She would picture-paint and use story telling and descriptions to encourage young Nicoleta's imagination and help her transmute her emotions into music. She would hold Nicoleta's hand when she was upset and would encourage her to give all her sorrows to the piano as well as to give it all her joy so she can multiply it. As a sensitive child and introverted teenager, Nicoleta felt the undeniable power of music and what a crucial role it played in her life so she vowed to dedicate herself to it. She had her first public performance at the age of 6 and went on to win multiple prizes in national and international piano competitions. She competed in the National Piano Olympics, representing her hometown, won 1st and 2nd prize for multiple years consecutively in the Virtuoso Piano Competition in Braila, Romantic Miniature Piano Competition and Romanian Miniature Piano Competition in Galati.

 

When she turned 18, she moved to London to attend Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music where she studied for her Bachelor's degree as well as her Master's degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of renowned pianists Pascal Roge, Deniz Gelenbe, Gabriele Baldocci, Elena Riu and more. 

 

In her early performances at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Nicoleta won her professors admiration and was referred to as “highly musical” after performing in the Schumann Festival and the New Lights Festival. She went on to win more prizes in International Music Competition, Paris as well as OPM International Piano Competition, wining 3rd Prize with her chamber Alexandru Doinea as part of Noir Piano Duo. She performed alongside Brighton Youth Orchestra and collaborated with multiple London-based composers for world premiere performances.

She completed her studies and continued to pursue her musical career offering recitals and other public performances both solo and chamber music as well as teaching. 

 

Nicoleta's life purpose is committed to helping others feel understood. With a strong admiration for nature and deep emotional intelligence, she is devoted to help those willing to be inspired through her musical performances and her teaching.