Alina Bercu

Alina Elena Bercu is a Romanian concert pianist.

Life

Bercu started piano lessons at the age of 7 at the Arts School in her hometown.
In 1999 she settled with her family in Brasov, Transylvania, to study piano with Professor Stela Drăgulin from the Faculty of Music. Aged 16, she passed the entrance examination at the Franz Liszt Music University in Weimar, Germany, becoming Grigory Gruzman’s student. At the same time, she attended the courses of the National College Andrei Saguna in Brasov.
She gave her first concert with an orchestra at only 9, and soon performed at notable venues in Europe, America and Asia including: The Romanian Athenaeum and Mihail Jora Studio from the Radio Broadcast Hall in Bucharest, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Teo Otto Theater - Remscheid, Prinzregententheater München, Musikhalle-Hamburg, Auditorium - Rome, Tonhalle Zürich, Carnegie Hall and Theatre du Vevey. Bercu has given more than 200 concerts with widely known orchestras and made recordings for several European broadcasters.

Education

Schools

1998–2005–secondary school at the Normal School No. 6 from Brasov
1998–2006 in Brasov – private piano courses with Prof. Stela Drăgulin from the Faculty of Music in Transilvania University of Brașov
2005–2009 student at The National College Andrei Saguna Brasov- “social sciences” section
2006–student at The University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar with Prof. Grigory Gruzman

Piano Master classes

July 2000 – Braşov, Romania “Summer Academy” with Lory Wallfisch
July 2005–Zürich, Switzerland “International Master Class for Piano” with Rudolf Buchbinder
March 2007– Weimar, Germany “Klavier-Akademie “ with Leslie Howard
August 2010 Salzburg, Austria "Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum" with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling

Contests and prizes

27 May 2011, Italy – Alina Bercu and Dragos Manza in ensemble DUO ENESCU, the 3rd Prize, Central European Initiative Special Award and Young Award 2011 at the 12th International Competition for Chamber Music Ensembles “Premio Trio di Trieste”
11 September 2007, Vevey, Switzerland – finalist at the 22nd Clara Haskil International Piano Competition
28 May 2007, Calabria, Italy – The 17th International Piano Competition A.M.A. Calabria the Third Prize
12 May 2006, Vienna, Austria – Laureate of the 13th edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition 2006
19 January 2006 Bucharest – Romanian Television The National Contest for ”Eurovision Young Musicians 2006”: The First Prize and the “Great Winner” to represent Romania in the European Contest “Eurovision Young Musicians Competition 2006”
4 July 2004 Cincinnati – Ohio, USA: "The 2004 World Piano Competition": the First Prize for "solo" section, the First Prize for the "concerto" section, the Gold Medal & Grand Prize Winner
2 November 2002 Hamburg, Germany – International Piano Competition "Steinway & Sons": the First Prize awarded by the Jury and the Audience Prize

Other prizes

2006–“Radio Romania Cultural” Broadcast Channel awarded Alina the special Prize "In memoriam Iosif Sava"
2004–The "Artistic Performances" Prize awarded by the Romanian Society of Radio Broadcast, Bucharest
2004–The special prize awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "For Promoting Romania Through Culture", Bucharest
The Prize "The Young of the Year 2003" awarded by the “Monitorul Expres” Journal of Brasov

Charity concerts

In The Netherlands "Concerto for Alexandra" held in the Roermond, a project supported by the Dutch Foundation "Heart for Romania" to collecting funds for building a special school for blind children in Sibiu.
In Switzerland, organized by the International Rotary Club for a Romanian music school of orgs in Harman / Brasov
In Romania, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Hospice Medical Care Centre and for fund raising required for the building of a modern surgery unit at the Children’s Hospital from Brasov organized by the International Rotary Club. In December 2005 "Christmas Concert" for the elderly home in Brasov.
In Indonesia three concerts for the financing of a rehabilitation program for physically challenged children,
In Germany for hospitals and elderly homes