ROMANIA: Mourners gather for funeral of young Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa

Record ID: 796406

  • Title: ROMANIA: Mourners gather for funeral of young Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa
  • Date: 10th August 2012
  • Summary: PRIEST DURING CEREMONY PICTURE OF MIHAELA URSULEASA
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Romania
  • Country: Romania
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVABB1RM7IHUPDTPKU10AXM3OPSG
  • Story Text: Friends and family members of the deceased Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa gather for her funeral in the Romanian capital.
    Dozens of mourners including acclaimed Romanian musicians gathered for the funeral of Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa on Friday (August 10) at a Romanian Orthodox Church in the capital.
    The 33-year-old internationally renowned concert pianist was found dead in her apartment in Vienna on Thursday (August 2), with a cerebral haemorrhage identified as cause of death.
    Born in 1978 in Brasov, Romania, Ursuleasa's father was a jazz pianist and her mother a singer.
    She started playing piano very early, at the age of five, and began performing in public a few years later.
    At the age of 12 she played with the Italian conductor Claudio Abbado who arranged a scholarship for her at the Vienna Conservatory, from where she graduated in 1999.

    "Mihaela was the most special person I've ever met. I can say that she is the Romanian genius, who is, unfortunately, not any more among us," acclaimed Romanian musician Marin Cazacu said at the funeral.
    During her career Ursuleasa performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Vienna Symphony, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the French National Orchestra.
    Ursuleasa also released two critically acclaimed albums - the award-winning "Piano & Forte" in 2009 and "Romanian Rhapsody" in 2011.
    She is survived by her young daughter Stefanie Felicia.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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