Ştefan Gheorghiu

Who was Ştefan Gheorghiu?

Ştefan Gheorghiu was a Romanian musician, violinist and teacher, born in Galați, Romania.

At 5 he starts studying the violin and at 9 becomes student of the Royal Music Academy in Bucharest. George Enescu recommended him and his brother Valentin Gheorghiu - pianist, for a scholarship at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris, where he studied the violin Maurice Hewitt and musical harmony and counterpoint with Noel Gallon. During the war he continued studies in Bucharest with Garabet Avakian and Mihail Jora. Gheorghiu finished his studies in Moscow, attending the violin performing art masterclasses of David Oistrakh.

Since 1946 he was appointed concert-soloist of the State Philharmonic in Bucharest, where he performed both in symphonic concerts and in violin recitals. He was member of the Romanian Trio, together with Valentin Gheorghiu and Radu Aldulescu. At the first edition of the George Enescu International Competition in 1958, he won the first prize for the best performance of the third sonata by Enescu, together with his brother the pianist Valentin Gheorghiu. The jury consisted of Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Henryk Szeryng, André Gertler, Nadia Boulanger and George Georgescu.