
Dragoș Cantea
Born and raised in Iaşi (Romania), Dragoș Cantea spent the first eighteen years of his artistic education under the guidance of Ioana Stănescu – a partnership that led to international awards and concerts with top philharmonic orchestras in the country.
After his move to Oslo in 2016, he had debuts in Norway, Finland, Switzerland, UK, Austria, collaborating with a variety of conductors, such as Radu Popa, Fergus MacAlpine, David Marcian, Ovidiu Bălan, Ștefan Novak to world renowned musicians such as Cristian Mandeal or Kathryn Stott.
The year 2018 marked his first experiences as an Artistic Director, managing the cultural celebrations of Romania’s Centenary Year in Norway. In 2019 he had his first release for Grappa / Simax and performances as soloist in Grieg & Mozart Piano Concertos have been broadcasted on Romania’s National Television (TVR) on several occasions.
As of 2020, he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts title with highest distinctions, after a 3-year research on the piano oeuvre of Leoš Janáček, advised by VOCES String Quartet cellist, Dan Prelipcean.
He was invited to be a Jury member in the 2021 QMYPC Competition in Singapore. He also taught masterclasses during the competition and in Finland.
Dragoș is an alumnus of the Norwegian Academy of Music under Kathryn Stott and Håvard Gimse, and as of 2020 is the co-Founder and Artistic Director of Classix Festival.