[RO]
Nascut in Bucuresti, Adrian Mantu a absolvit cursurile de specializare ale Universitatii Nationale de Muzica din Bucuresti. Studiile sale au continuat la Banff Centre for the Arts din Canada, Accademia Chigiana din Siena, Royal Academy of Music din Londra, Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sophia din Madrid si la Academia Europeana de Muzica din Aix-en-Provence, studiind, pe rand, cu Stefan Popov, Zara Nelsova, Radu Aldulescu, Lawrence Lesser si Marin Cazacu.
A studiat si lucrat in numeroase masterclass-uri de cvartete de corzi cu membri ai cvartetelor Amadeus, Alban Berg, Hagen, Tokyo si Emerson.
In 1999, cvartetului ConTempo, din care facea parte si Adrian Mantu, i s-a oferit un fellowship la Royal Academy of Music din Londra, unde fiecare membru a sustinut cursuri pentru grupuri de muzica de camera.
In 2003, dupa o auditie internationala, Adrian si colegii sai de la ConTempo au devenit cvartetul in rezidenta al orasului Galway (Irlanda), posturile lor fiind platite de National University of Galway, National TV Channel TG4 si de catre Arts Council.
Adrian a castigat numeroase competitii nationale si 2 premii in cadrul competitiilor internationale de violoncel din Bucuresti si Sofia. Alaturi de cvartetul ConTempo a inregistrat un record de 13 premii internationale in competitii din Londra, Munchen, Hamburg, Roma, Graz, Berlin, Bucuresti si Praga.
Mantu sustine, ca interpret solo sau ca parte a grupului ConTempo, peste 80 de concerte pe an, in diferite tari de pe mapamond. A avut recitaluri in Carnegie Hall (New York), Wigmore Hall si St.Martin-in-the-Fields (Londra), Berliner Philarmoniker (Berlin), Waterfront (Belfast), Max Joseph Saal ( Munchen), Theatre Chatelet si Festival Clasique-au-Vert (Paris), Auditorium ( Brussels), Gedai University (Tokio), Opera House (Tel-Aviv), Haydn Festival ( Eisenstadt), National Concert Hall (Dublin), San Marino, Toronto, Madrid, Rome, Lisabona, Vatican, Amsterdam, Graz, Beijing si Bucuresti. Trebuie mentionat si concertul de la King’s Lynn Festival, unde ConTempo a cantat impreuna cu Orchestra Filarmonica Regala din Londra.
Mantu si colegii sai au avut onoarea de a interpreta in fata unor personalitati precum Papa Ioan Paul al II-lea, Nelson Mandela, Printul Charles al Marii Britanii, ministri ai Uniunii Europene.
Colaborarea cu diversi artisti si experimentarea variatelor genuri muzicale este o parte importanta a vietii muzicale a lui Adrian Mantu. Adesea interpreteaza pe un violocel baroc muzica timpurie, renascentista sau baroca. Este interesat de muzica jazz, ca si de cea argentiniana si braziliana, unde foloseste violocelul modern sau cel electric.
In prezent, cand nu concerteaza, Adrian Mantu sustine cursuri internationale in Irlanda (Royal Irish Academy of Music din Dublin, ConTempo Summer School in Galway etc), Romania, Marea Britanie si Japonia.
Mantu este alaturi de Academia ICon Arts din 2007.
[EN]
Adrian was born in Bucharest in 1975 and is a graduate of the University of Music in Bucharest. His studies continued at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Royal Academy of Music in London, European Academy of Music in Aix-en-Provence and Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid where he studied with Stefan Popov, Zara Nelsova, Radu Aldulescu, Laurence Lesser and Marin Cazacu. He took part in various string quartet master classes with members of the Amadeus, Alban Berg, Hagen and Emerson Quartets.
In 1999 the ConTempo Quartet was offered a Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where each member coached chamber music groups. In 2003, after an international audition, Adrian and his colleagues from ConTempo became Galway’s Quartet-in-Residence, a job sponsored by the National University of Ireland, Galway, the National Irish Language TV Channel TG4 & the Arts Council.
Adrian has won many national competitions all over Romania and two prizes in International Cello Competitions in Bucharest and Sofia. As a member of the ConTempo String Quartet he has won a record of 13 international prizes in competitions such as London, Munich, Hamburg, Rome, Graz, Berlin & Prague.
Adrian has a busy schedule of more than 60 concerts a year and he has performed, on his own or with the ConTempo Quartet, all over the world including Concerts as Soloist with Orchestras in Germany, Italy, Romania, Austria, France, Canada, Bulgaria & UK and Chamber Music Recitals in Wigmore Hall and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Berliner Philarmonik, Waterfront in Belfast, Max Joseph Saal in Munich, Theatre Chatelet and Festival Clasique-au-Vert in Paris, Auditorium in Brussels, Gedai University in Tokio, Opera House in Tel-Aviv, Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, King’s Lynn Festival (where ConTempo played with London’s Royal Philarmonic Orchestra Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro) Dublin, Toronto, Madrid, Rome and Bucharest.
Adrian and his colleagues from ConTempo had the honour to perform for personalities such us the Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles and the EU Ministers.
As a member of the ConTempo Quartet Adrian recorded for BBC, RTE, Lyric FM, Radio France Musique, ORF, TVR, for the German CD Company DeutscheSchalplatten & english CD campany SOMM.
ConTempo recorded also the music for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’s TV Drama Band of Brothers and ORF & Sat3′s „Deutschland, Deutschland” movie (about Siegmund Nissel, from the Amadeus Quartet, life).
Adrian composed, arranged and recorded the music for the Trop tard movie (who was selected for the Cannes Festival in France) and for the Dama cu camelii play for the National Theatre in Bucharest (Maia Morgenstern).
„Wonderful cellist” – The Times (Sep. 2000)
„Adrian is just great” – Norbert Brainin from the Amadeus Quartet (Aug. 1998) „..the Romanian cellist Adrian Mantu is sensational…” – Aachenen Nachnichten
„the cellist Adrian Mantu commands, with an excellent self-control, a vivid sensitiveness, a musical imagination which is functionally exhibited” – Curentul
„..the baritonal voice of the soloist cello came to light as a compact, round, expressive and shadedsound, Adrian Mantu proving a fluent and intelligent phrasing.” – Actualitatea Muzicala.