Catalin Serban

The Romanian pianist Catalin Serban was born in Bucharest and he has lived in Berlin since 1997.

Catalin Serban studied with the professors Martin Hughes and László Simon at the University of Arts in Berlin and was a scholarship  holder of "Paul Hindemith Gesellschaft" and of the University of the Arts. He participated in master classes of famous professors such as Claude Frank, Georgy Sebok, Pascal Devoyon, Theodor Paraschivesco, Elena Lapitskaja.
At "Musikhochschule Lübeck" he graduated with honours his postgraduate studies with professor Konrad Elser.

The newspaper "Badische Zeitung" praised him for his "technically outstanding Mozart interpretation" as a "highly talented performer". About his interpretation of Mozart's piano concerto KV 466 one could read, "Serban's style of playing the quick runs showed his brilliant virtuosity. His way of playing Mozart revealed noble clarity, accuracy and pensiveness in the more quiet passages of the romance".

He has a very particular affinity with romantic composers, but he "prefers a very clear and at the same time sensitive interpretation of the  musical score, without neglecting special lyrical aspects and brilliance of Chopin´s music" (Grigore Constantinescu, chairman of the Romanian association of music critics). 

With reference to another concert the same music critic spoke very highly of "his very expressive and complex way of playing the piano which led to a deep understanding of M. Ravel's music".

At the age of eighteen, when he started his piano studies at the University of the Arts in Berlin, C. Serban had already been the first prize winner of some major national music competitions in Romania. 

He became also a laureate at the International Competition in Senigallia, Italy and he was awarded with the prize for the best interpretation of a modern composition for Villa-Lobos´ Rudepoema, at the international Bremen Piano Competition.

Catalin Serban gives concerts in Germany, Romania, Italy, France and Switzerland as a soloist in recitals and concerts with orchestra. He performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, big Hall of „Konzerthaus Berlin“, „Bremer Glocke“,  Athenaeum and Radio Hall in Bucharest, „Stadtcasino“ Basel.

He plays with the Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra, „Das Sinfonie Orchester Berlin“,  Philharmonic Orchestra Constanta, Youth Orchestras in Bukarest and Basel. He was invitated to play recitals and chamber music at several festivals like „Oberstdorfer Musiksommer“, Pianocity Berlin, „Fränkische Musiktage“, „Brahms Wochen“ and „Brahms Festival“ Lübeck.