Stefan Rus, born on November 28, 2007, is a 17-year-old Romanian pianist. He embarked on his musical journey at the age of 4, initially exploring the drums before finding his passion for the piano. Under the tutelage of Professor Dr. Mihaela Itigan at the Tudor Ciortea Vocational High School in Brașov, Romania, Stefan has honed his skills and participated in various masterclasses. Notably, he attended masterclasses with Norma Fisher in August 2024, Eduard Kunz in Brașov in August and December 2018, as well as the International Chopin Masterclass for Pianists in Warsaw in August 2020 and 2021, under the guidance of Maurizio Moretti and Anna Hajduk-Rynkowicz. His talent has been recognized in numerous competitions, including the "Young Euregio Piano Award” International Piano Competition 2021 in Germany, where he secured 3rd prize, and the "Musical Microcosmos” National Competition Festival in Sf. Gheorghe, Romania, where he clinched the Piano Grand Prize. Stefan has graced various esteemed events, including the Pianostar Festival at Arts and Culture Bucharest (ARCUB) in January 2022, and he was invited to perform at the Chopin’s Birthday Festival in Warsaw in March 2022. He has held recitals at distinguished venues such as the Goethe Institute Bucharest and the Hungarian Cultural Institute Bucharest. On his birthday, in November 2022, he held held his own recital at Centrul Multicultural al Universitatii Transilvania in Brasov. In June 2021, Stefan marked a milestone in his career by performing the 1st part of the Grieg – Piano Concerto for Piano in A minor, op 16 with the Brasov Philarmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Boga, at Filarmonica Brasov. Furthermore, Stefan has been consistently recognized in the National stage of the Romanian National Olympiad of Musical Interpretation since 4th grade, most recently being awarded 1st Prize in 2024.
interview.
XIII Festiwal Urodzinowy Fryderyka Chopina - Stefan Rus –interview
"Much more focused on virtuosity was Ștefan Rus, still a high school student at the "Tudor Ciortea" Music High School in Brașov in Mrs. Professor Mihaela Itigan's class, who confidently tackled Sonata No.18, K.576 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first. Its composition allowed him to reveal his attraction to highly virtuosic lines and demonstrate a remarkable technique for his age. Ștefan impressed with the firmness of his touch, his already evident artistic sense, and the passion of his interpretative discourse. Clearly, a potential future piano virtuoso, Ștefan Rus expressed his preference for this aspect of interpretative art through the following pages performed in his recital, which belong to one of the greatest keyboard virtuosos, Franz Liszt; 2 Konzertetüden, S.145, Waldesrauschen. Vivace and Gnomenreigen. Presto scherzando confirmed that Ștefan is shaping up as an artistic personality as a virtuoso. The courage to approach scores of a certain technical difficulty, such as those of Liszt, was paired with a remarkable technique, the confidence and precision with which the most challenging passages were performed, and the energy of his versions that reveal the turmoil of inner feelings felt in front of his favorite instrument. At the end of this very interesting recital as part of the Piano STAR season, we can note that the project started last summer continuously shows its fruits. The two very young pianists, whom we could already call "the poet" and "the virtuoso," confirm through the quality of their performances that they could be, in the future, some of the relevant Romanian musicians even on an international level if they continue to perfect and progress continually. Surely all those who are or will be selected in this attractive project will do so, which can offer them professional experiences that complement their vocational musical education."
Prof. Dr. Mădălin Alexandru Stănescu
"At a crossroads stands a signpost. Pointing in one direction, the sign reads: "Victory". Pointing in another direction, it says: "Fulfillment". We must decide. Which will we choose? If we choose the path to Victory, the goal is to win! We have chosen a finite game. Finite games are played according to fixed rules, there is an established objective agreed upon by all involved, and when the objective is reached, the game ends. Finite games always have a beginning, a middle, and an end. We will feel the thrill of competition running towards the finish line. Crowds will gather to cheer us on! Then it ends. And everyone goes home. If we choose the path to Fulfillment, the journey will be long. This time, the game will be infinite. In infinite games, there are no exact rules or established by agreement of the parties. There may be conventions or laws that govern how the players behave, but they can play however they want, within those general limits. And if they choose to disregard the conventions, they can do so. The way each player chooses to play depends solely on them. And they can choose how to play the game at any time, for any reason. Infinite games have infinite time horizons. And, since there is no finish line, there is no actual end to the game, no concept of "winning" an infinite game. In an infinite game, the main goal is to keep playing, to perpetuate the game. Therefore, there will be times when we need to be careful where we step. There will be moments when we can take a break to admire the view. Then we continue, moving forward. Other people will gather to join us on the journey. And when our lives have ended, those who joined us on the path to fulfillment will continue to walk without us and inspire others to join them. The more we look at our world through the lens of finite and infinite games, the more we will notice infinite games all around us, with no finish lines and no winners. Many years ago, Stefan, a 6-year-old boy, chose the infinite path of music. On this path, he joined the world's great composers, great performers, teachers, and his mentor, Mrs. Mihaela Itigan, in search of great harmonies. Let us pause for a moment at the edge of their road, listen to their steps, let ourselves be inspired, and wish them a good journey!"
Gabriel Spahiu - actor
Masterclasses
Norma Fisher - Arad 2024
Barbara Szczepanska -Bucharest 2022
Uta Weyand -Bucharest 2022
Roland Pröll -Brasov 2021
Horia Mihail - Aprilie 2022
Florian Mitrea -Bucharest 2022
Graeme McNaught - September 2021
William Fong - February 2022
Maurizio Moretti - Warsaw 2021
Anna Hajduk-Rynkowicz -Warsaw 2020
