Ion Ivan-Roncea – ”A Lipatti of the Harp”

Ion Ivan Roncea

  • Diploma of Doctor of Music, 2009
  • Prize of the Union of Composers and Musicologists for solo Interpretation, 2009
  • Prize for Music of the Radio Romania Cultural, 2008
  • Cultural Merit, Romania, 2004
  • Certificate of Award of the American Harp Society, 1988
  • Lily Laskine Award of the Harp Renaissance Society, USA, 1984
  • Certificate of Appreciation of the American Harp Society, 1979
  • Critics’ Prize of the Romanian Association of Performing Artists, 1977
  • First Prize of the Sixth International Harp Contest in Israel, 1976

The Romanian harpist graduated the National University of Music in Bucharest, where he was a pupil of Liana Pasquali. In 1977 and 1979 he studied with professor Pearl Chertok in New York.

Ion Ivan-Roncea is Soloist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic and Professor of Harp at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

Roncea distinguished himself as one of Romania’s most popular musicians, playing with all the Philharmonic Orchestras in his country, and performing numerous recitals. He has toured extensively in: Austria, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Walles, Serbia, Slovakia, China, U.S.A., Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, Croatia, playing on important concert stages, such as: Grosses Schauspielhaus and Mozarteum Hall in Salzburg, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Radio Hall in Frankfurt/Main, Radio Hall and Odd Fellow Palaet in Copenhagen, Radio Hall, Saint David’s Hall and Reardon Smith Theatre in Cardiff, Philharmonic Hall in Liege, Megaro Musikis in Athens, Vigado Hall and Franz Liszt Academy of Music Hall in Budapest, Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Romanian Atheneum Hall in Bucharest, Palacio de Congresos-Auditorio in La Coruna, Palais des Beaux Arts in Bruxelles, L”Institut Hall in Orleans, Alfred Cortot Hall in Paris, Matsuo Hall Tokyo.

Ion Ivan-Roncea appeared as soloist with major orchestras, among them: Vienna Philharmonic, Dresdner Philharmonic, Liege Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic, Athens State Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Cardiff BBC Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony, Jerusalem  Symphony, Europa Symphony, Collegium Musicum Copenhagen, Paul Kuentz, Budapest Strings and Concerto chamber orchestras, and the French Flutes Orchestra.

He played also in prestigeous music festivals, such as: the Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Godollo, Maastricht, Istambul, Cardiff, La Coruna, and Bucharest George Enescu.

As soloist and/or principal harpist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic Roncea played with great conductors: Sergiu Celibidache, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Genady Rodjetsvensky, Horst Stein, Sir Charles Groves, Michel Plasson, Erich Bergel, Pierre Bartholomee, Sergiu Comissiona, Edvard Civjel, Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andreescu, Christian Badea, Dorel Pascu-Radulescu, Ion Marin and important soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Janos Balint, Toke Lund-Christiansen, Pierre-Alain Biget, Gavril Costea, Virgil Francu, Ion Bogdan Stefanescu, Aurelian Octav Popa, Dan Grigore, Stefan Ruha, Martin Haselbock, Marin Cazacu, Gheorghe Crasnaru, Georgeta Stoleru,  Sanda Gutu, Johnny Raducanu, Maria Bildea, Ioana Nicolescu, Marisa Robles, Chantal Mathieu, Kumiko Inoue, Alice Giles, Naoko Yoshino.

He has been invited several times to the World Harp Congresses as guest artist and professor, and between 1985-1990 he was member of the Board of directors of the World Harp Congress.

Ion Ivan-Roncea played and has recorded for important Radio and TV Stations: Budapest, Vienna, Jerusalem, Paris, BBC – Cardiff, Copenhagen, Frankfurt/Main, WQXR – New York, Athens, Prague, Sofia and Bucharest. Some of his best recordings made in Bucharest are incorporated in the National Treasured Sound Collection. He also has made several Records, CDs, and DVDs for the Arte Nova Classics-BMG, AIX Records and Electrecord Companies, and appeared in several programs for Radio and Television in Romania and abroad.

Many of his students or former students have an active presence on the concert stage as soloists or as members of different music ensembles. Some of them: Maria Bildea, Stasha Grujic, Ioana Nicolescu, Ina Zdorovetchi, Sonja Inglefield, Judith Wunderlich, Anca Beck, Ionela Bradean, Roxana Moisanu, Anna Dermani, Gabriela Chihaescu, Miruna Vidican, Ioana Comsa won prizes in important national and international harp contests.

Ion Ivan-Roncea has taught also at the Master Classes in the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, France, USA, Austria, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Holland, Croatia and Japan.

He served as member of the Juries of the International Harp Contests in Israel (1988, 1992, 2009), Cardiff (1991, 1993), ASTH-Lyon (1993), Salvi-Saluzzo (1995), Geneva (1997), German Harp Contest-Weikersheim (1998), Iosef Reinl-Munich (1999), Martine Geliot-Lille (1999), Chisinau (2001), Iosef Reinl-Vienna (2002), UNMB-Bucharest (2002), Lily Laskine-Deauville (2002), ARD-Munich (2004), Belgrade (2005), German Harp Contest-Schlitz (2007), Martine Geliot-Avon (2007), European Young Musicians Competition-romanian national selection (2004, 2006, 2008), Petar Konjovic-Belgrade (2009). In October 2009 he was the Vice-President of the International Harp Contest in Israel.

His repertoire includes original classic and contemporary works for harp, transcriptions, pop, jazz and latin-american pieces, as well as chamber and orchestral music.

In October 2007 Roncea organized successfully the first Harp Festival and Harp Exhibition in Romania.

In June 2009 he became Doctor of Music at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

In 2011 and 2012 he held the Master Class/Stage d’Ete at the Academie Internationale de Harpe Pierre Jamet in  Gargilesse,  France.

In 2012 Ion Ivan-Roncea was invited in the Juries of Ksenia Erdely International Harp Contest in Sankt Petersburg (June 25th – July 2nd), and at Soka Harp Festival and Contest (November 14 – 18th), where he appeared in mini recitals in the Opening and Closing Gala Concerts. He also performed a full solo Recital and gave a Master Class at Matsuo Hall in Tokyo.

In 2013 Roncea participates at the Zagreb Harp Festival (21-27 April), playing the Opening Recital and  giving a one week Master Class.