Artists › Andreea Banciu

Andreea Banciu is the violist/founder of the ConTempo Quartet, quartet in residence at the Royal Academy of Music London 1999-2002, Galway Ensemble in Residence since 2003 and RTÉ ensemble in residence between 2015 and 2019. Andreea is a lecturer in viola at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Conservatory of Music and Drama, TU Dublin. 

Since 2019, she has been a guest principal viola with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Andreea has been invited to perform as lead violist with Irish National Opera, Wexford Opera, Luminosa and Vespera orchestras.

As a soloist, Andreea has performed with NSO, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Luminosa Orchestra, Esker Youth Orchestra, Dublin Orchestral Players, Sligo Baroque Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and UK National Youth String Orchestra.

As a member of Contempo quartet, Andreea has won 14 International Prizes in Chamber Music Competitions (London, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Graz, Hamburg, Rome). She has performed over 3000 concerts around the world in 40 countries, in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, Tel-Aviv Opera, Carnegie Hall, Gedai Tokyo, and Dublin's National Concert Hall.

Andreea had the honour to perform in front of great personalities, Michael D Higgins, Prince Charles, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Nobel Prize winners and Hollywood stars.

She took part, as a supporting actress, in the "Trop Tard" film (selected for Cannes Festival) and recorded the music for Steven Spielberg & Tom Hank's "Band of Brothers". Her recordings can be found on the Universal, Sony, Quartz, Deutsche Schallplatten & NMC labels.

In 2016, Andreea, together with pianist Aileen Cahill, formed duo Anima, who keeps a busy performing schedule with recitals as part of Clifden, Fermanagh and Clonmel Arts Festivals, as well as performances in Dublin (St Anne’s Church, Sandford Church), Galway (Music for Galway, St Nicholas Church), Sligo, Mullingar, Omagh, Maynooth University, TU Dublin, University of Limerick, DCU. The duo has also performed in France and Belgium.

Andreea has also collaborated with pianists Denis Kozhukhin, Finghin Collins, Barry Douglas, Hugh Tinney, John O’Connor, and Michael McHale, clarinettists Michael Collins and Emma Johnson, cellists Martin Lovett of the Amadeus quartet, Leonard Elschenbroich and Raphael Merlin, violists Diemut Poppen and Garth Knox, singers Ailish Tynan and Lenneke Ruiten, Vanburgh and Casals quartets.

Andreea is an active performer of contemporary music and her quartet has premiered over a hundred works by Irish composers.

In recognition of their immense cultural contribution, Andreea and her colleagues from Contempo quartet were conferred as Doctors in Music, Honoris Causa, by NUI Galway, and in January 2022 were awarded the distinction of Cultural Merit, in the Order of Knighthood, by the President of Romania.