Romanian British pianist and creator of “The Nutcracker and I”, Alexandra Dariescu dazzles audiences and critics worldwide with her effortless musicality and captivating stage presence. Her vision and innovative approach to programming makes her stand out as a creative entrepreneur who likes to think differently.
In demand as a soloist worldwide, Dariescu has performed to critical acclaim with Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Moscow Philharmonic, Tonkünstler Orchester, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Sichuan Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio National Orchestra Romania, Zuger Sinfonietta, Tampere Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and European Union Youth Orchestra among many others.
Dariescu enjoys musical partnerships with some of the world’s leading conductors, having performed under the batons of Jiří Bělohlávek, Alexandre Bloch, Baldur Brönnimann, Jessica Cottis, Michael Francis, Fabien Gabel, James Gaffigan, Ben Gernon, Antony Hermus, Andrew Litton, Cristian Măcelaru, Jun Märkl, Enrique Mazzola, Vasily Petrenko, Jamie Phillips, André de Ridder, Clemens Schuldt, Alexander Shelley, Yuri Simonov, John Storgårds, Ewa Strusińska, Maxime Tortelier, Ryan Wigglesworth, Barry Wordsworth and Kazuki Yamada.
As the first ever female Romanian pianist to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Dariescu made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 and has since appeared in some of the most well known concert halls around the world: Concertgebouw Amsterdam, BOZAR Brussels, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Auditorium Lyon, Konzerthaus, Staatsoper and Musikverein in Vienna, Staatsoper Berlin, Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Gran Rex Buenos Aires, Sydney Town Hall, Melbourne Hammer Hall, Musashino Hall Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai Grand Theatre, Dubai Opera House, Laeishalle Hamburg, Kaufman Music Centre New York, Oslo Opera House.
With a concerto repertoire spanning more than 55 concertos, Dariescu continues to champion lesser known works. In past seasons she performed Nadia Boulanger’s Fantaisie variée with the BBC Symphony Orchestra/James Gaffigan, Germaine Tailleferre’s Ballade for piano and orchestra with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Jessica Cottis, Ginastera’s Concierto Argentino with the Stavanger Symphony and Royal Scottish National Orchestras/John Storgårds and Ferdinand Ries’ Piano Concerto No. 3 with Tonkünstler Orchestra/Ruth Reinhardt. Aiming for gender equality in her recital programmes, Dariescu champions works by Missy Mazzoli, Clara Schumann, Florence Price, Germaine Tailleferre, Lili Boulanger, Camille Pepin, Iris ter Shiphorst and Betsy Jolas.
Nominated for an OPUS Klassik 2019, The Nutcracker and I, by Alexandra Dariescu is a ground-breaking multimedia performance for piano solo with dance and digital animation, which Dariescu created and produced out of a personal responsibility to reach out to younger audiences and build bridges for those perhaps new to classical music. The Nutcracker and I was premiered at Barbican’s Milton Court in December 2017, and has since then enjoyed international critical acclaim on tour across Europe, Australia, China, the Emirates and the US with more than 75 performances in venues such as the Wiener Konzerthaus, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Auditorium de Lyon, Verbier Festival, Konserthuset Gothenburg, King’s Place London, Melbourne Recital Hall, Sydney City Recital Hall, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Dubai Opera House and Las Vegas Summerlin Library. So far, The Nutcracker and I reached more than 70,000 people worldwide under the age of 18 through the live performances and a newly released audio book, narrated by BBC Blue Peter presenter and BAFTA winner, Lindsey Russell. Last year, The Nutcracker and I was shortlisted for one of the most prestigious German Awards, Opus Klassik, as one of the 9 nominees including projects by Daniel Barenboim, Lang Lang and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
Dariescu has released 8 CDs to critical acclaim, the latest release being her Decca recording with Angela Gheorghiu in November 2019. The discography contains her Trilogy of Preludes on Champs Hill Records with complete preludes by Boulanger/Messiaen/Fauré, Chopin/Dutilleux and Shostakovich/Szymanowski, Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Darrell Ang (Signum Records) and “Mesmerism” (NMC Records), which is a concerto written especially for Dariescu by award-winning British composer Emily Howard.
Alexandra Dariescu was born in Romania and made her concerto debut at the age of 9 with the Moldova National Orchestra. At the age of 17, Dariescu moved to the UK with the Constantin Silvestri scholarship and has been mentored by Sir András Schiff and Imogen Cooper through the Royal Philharmonic Society Mentoring Scheme. After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music with the Gold Medal, where she studied with Nelson Goerner, Alexander Melnikov, Mark Ray and Dina Parakhina, Dariescu pursued her Masters at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Ronan O’Hora. A winner of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), Dariescu also won the Verbier Festival CUBS Prize and received the UK’s Women of the Future Award in the Arts and Culture category.
In 2017 Alexandra Dariescu was appointed patron of Music in Lyddington, Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Northern College of Music and Cultural Ambassador of Romania, travelling on a diplomatic passport ever since. In spring 2018, Dariescu received the “Officer of the Romanian Crown” from the Royal Family and was selected as a Young European Leader by Friends of Europe, a programme that brings together established leaders from a variety of backgrounds including politics, business, civil society, arts, science and the media to work together at the building a more forward thinking Europe that is the global champion for a better world. In 2020, Dariescu was named Associate Artist of the RNCM (ARNCM) and was awarded the Order “Cultural Merit” in the rank of Knight from the President of Romania, Klaus Johannis.
