Ion Ivan-Roncea

”A Lipatti of the Harp”

Doctor of Music, 2009

Prize for Solo Interpretation of the Romanian Union of Composers and Musicologists, 2009

Prize for Music of the Radio Romania Cultural, 2008

Cultural Merit, Romania, 2004

Certificate of Award of the American Harp Society, 1988

Lily Laskine Award of the Harp Renaissance Society, USA, 1984

Certificate of Appreciation of the American Harp Society, 1979

Critics' Prize of the Romanian Association of Performing Artists, 1976

First Prize of the Sixth International Harp Contest in Israel, 1976

The Romanian harpist graduated the National University of Music in Bucharest, where he was a pupil of Liana Pasquali. In 1977 and 1979 he studied with professor Pearl Chertok in New York.

Ion Ivan-Roncea is Soloist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic and Professor of harp at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

Roncea distinguished himself as one of Romania's most popular musicians, playing with all the Philharmonic Orchestras in his country, and performing numerous recitals.

He has toured extensively in: Austria, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Walles, Serbia, Slovakia, China, U.S.A., Switzerland, playing on important concert stages: Grosses Schauspielhaus and Mozarteum Hall in Salzburg, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Radio Hall in Frankfurt/Main, Radio Hall and Odd Fellow Palaet in Copenhagen, Radio Hall, Saint David’s Hall and Reardon Smith Theatre in Cardiff, Philharmonic Hall in Liege, Megaro Musikis in Athens, Vigado Hall and Franz Liszt Academy of Music Hall in Budapest, Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Romanian Atheneum Hall in Bucharest, Palacio de Congresos-Auditorio in La Coruna, Palais des Beaux Arts in Bruxelles, L’Institut Hall in Orleans, Alfred Cortot Hall in Paris.

Ion Ivan-Roncea appeared as soloist with major orchestras such as: Vienna Philharmonic, Dresdner Philharmonic, Liege Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic, Athens State Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Cardiff BBC Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Europa Symphony, Collegium Musicum Copenhagen, Concerto, Paul Kuentz and Budapest Strings chamber orchestras, and the French Flutes Orchestra.

He played also in prestigeous music Festivals, such as: the Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Maastricht, Istambul, Cardiff, La Coruna, and Bucharest George Enescu.

As soloist and/or principal harpist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic Roncea played with important conductors: Sergiu Celibidache, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Genady Rodjetsvensky, Horst Stein, Sir Charles Groves, Michel Plasson, Mendi Rodan, Erich Bergel, Pierre Bartholomee, Sergiu Comissiona, Edvard Civjel, Ronald Zollman, Christian Badea, Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andreescu, Ion Marin, Dorel Pascu-Radulescu, Ferenc Gabor, and soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Toke Lund-Christiansen, Janos Balint, Pierre-Alain Biget, Gavril Costea, Virgil Francu, Ion Bogdan Stefanescu, Aurelian Octav Popa, Dan Grigore, Stefan Ruha, Martin Haselbock, Marin Cazacu, Gheorghe Crasnaru, Georgeta Stoleru, Johnny Raducanu, Maria Bildea, Ioana Nicolescu, Marisa Robles, Chantal Mathieu, Kumiko Inoue, Alice Giles, Naoko Yoshino etc.

He has been invited several times to the World Harp Congresses as guest artist and professor. Between 1985-1990 he was member of the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress.

Ion Ivan-Roncea played and has recorded for important Radio and TV Stations: Budapest, Vienna, Jerusalem, Paris, BBC - Cardiff, Copenhagen, Frankfurt/Main, WQXR - New York, Athens, Prague, Sofia and Bucharest. Some of his best recordings made in Bucharest are incorporated in the National Treasured Sound Collection. He also has made several Records, CDs, and DVDs for the Arte Nova Classics-BMG, AIX Records and Electrecord Companies, and appeared in several programs for Radio and Television in Romania and abroad.

In October 2007 Roncea organized, successfuly, the first Harp Festival and Harp Exhibition in Romania.

Many of his students or former students have an active presence on the concert stage as soloists or as members of different music enssembles. Some of them: Maria Bildea, Ina Zdorovetchi Stasha Grujic, Ioana Nicolescu, Sonja Inglefield, Judith Wunderlich, Anca Beck, Ionela Bradean, Roxana Moisanu, Anna Dermani, Gabriela Chihaescu, Miruna Vidican, Ioana Comsa, are laureats of National and International Contests. He has taught also at the Master Classes in the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, France, USA, Austria, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Holland.

He served in the Juries of the International Harp Contests in Israel (1988, 1992, 2009), Cardiff (1991, 1993), ASTH-Lyon (1993), Salvi-Saluzzo (1995), Geneva (1997), German Harp Contest-Weikersheim (1998), Iosef Reinl-Munich (1999), Martine Geliot-Lille (1999), Chisinau (2001), Iosef Reinl-Vienna (2002), UNMB-Bucharest (2002), Lily Laskine-Deauville (2002), ARD-Munich (2004), Belgrade (2005), German Harp Contest-Schlitz (2007), Martine Geliot-Avon (2007), European Young Musicians Competition-romanian national selection (2004, 2006, 2008), Petar Konjovic-Belgrade (2009). In October 2009 he was the Vice - President of the Jury at the International Harp Contest in Israel.

In June 2009 he became Doctor of Music at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

His repertoire includes original classic and contemporary works for harp, transcriptions, pop, jazz and latin-american pieces, as well as chamber and orchestral music.

Reviews

”Ion Ivan-Roncea, one of the world's best harpists, registered an enormous success. This world-class player is not only a wonderful harpist, but a great musician”

United Kingdom Harp Association Magazine, London

”Here is a hundred per cent musician, a complete artist ... one of the great harpists of the world... Roncea convinced us that he is going to enjoy a career worthy of the famous Nicanor Zabaleta's tradition”

Contemporanul, Bucharest

”Debussys 2 Tanze fur Harfe und Orchester erfuhren eine vorzugliche Wiedergabe durch den Rumanien Ion Ivan Roncea eine durchaus uberzeugende Raritat in diesem Reservat”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

”Roncea counts among the greatest virtuoso players of the harp... each of his performances is received as a real event, proving that he belongs to a unique class of artists. Roncea is endowed with rare interpretative sensitiveness”

Romania Libera, Bucharest

”Roncea a joue avec une beaute sonore, une souplesse de rythmes et de nuances qui ont enchante”

Le Soir, Bruxelles

”Este extraordinario artista ha desarrollado con la maxima expresividad y virtuosismo un variado programa”

Diario de Pontevedra

”Ion Ivan-Roncea is a virtuoso of the harp. Playing Debussy's Dances, he succeeded not only to masterfully outline their melodious flow, but also their pastel colors”

Magyar Nemzet, Budapest

”Roncea s’y fit remarque par la souplesse, la distinction et la precision de son jeu joliment timbre”

Semaine d’Anvers

”Ion Ivan Roncea es posedor de unas dotes interpretativas poco corrientes y presenta indudables rasgos de madurez artistica, ya que sus interpretaciones llevan consigo el sello de una notable perfeccion tecnica, junto con un alto grado de buen gusto y sensibilidad”

Diario de Terrassa

”Ion Ivan Roncea, ein Fuhlsamer Harfen-Lyriker...Bei den delikaten Kadenzen bestimmte Roncea die dynamische Gestaltung”

Salzburger Volksblatt

”Ion Ivan-Roncea was presented in a brilliant recital, enthusiastically received by the audience”

American Harp Journal, New York