One
of the world's leading performers of George Enescu's music,
Romanian-born Sherban Lupu studied at the Bucharest Conservatory
with George Manoliu.While a student he concertized throughout
Eastern Europe and performed on Romanian radio and television.
Mr. Lupu left Romania to study in London at the Guildhall School
of Music with Yfrah Neaman and he took lessons and master classes
with legendary violinists Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szering and
Nathan Milstein as well as with Norbert Brainin of the Amadeus
String Quartet and Sandor Vegh.
Lupu has won prizes in numerous competitions such as: Vienna
International, Romanian National String Quartet, Jacques Thibaud
in Paris, Carl Flesch in London, Royal Society of Arts, and
the Park Lane Group Contest. Subsequently Lupu came to the United
States to study with Dorothy De Lay and, at Indiana University,
with Josef Gingold and receive chamber music coaching from Menahem
Pressler.
Mr. Lupu is currently professor of violin at the University
of Illinois and has been artistic director of the Gubbio Festival
in Italy and associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera.
Appearing frequently as soloist in Europe and the United States,
Lupu has also performed the complete cycle of Beethoven Sonatas
with Menahem Pressler.
Mr. Lupu specializes in the music of his native Romania and
Eastern Europe as well as the virtuoso romantic repertoire.
Solo appearances include The Kennedy Center, Gstaad Festival,
Aldeburgh Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elisabeth Hall,
Wigmore Hall, St. John's Smith Square and Carnegie Hall. He
has also performed the Brahms and Tchaikovsky violin concertos
in live broadcasts with the BBC Orchestra and has appeared as
soloist with the Northern Israeli Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Lupu has collaborated with conductors such as Mendi Rodan,
Sir Charles Grove, Harry Blech, Cristian Mandeal, Barry Wadsworth,
Owain Arwell Hughes,Ian Hobson,Kirk Trevor and Horia Andreescu
among others. Sherban Lupu recorded works by Ysaÿe, Bartók,
Enescu, Wieniawski, Ernst, Stravinsky,Bloch and Ginastera for
the ASV, Arabesque, Continuum, Electrecord,Capstone, Zephyr
labels, the BBC and he has also released the recording of the
Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by J.S.Bach.
In collaboration with the composer Cornel Taranu, Mr. Lupu has
finished and reconstructed the "Caprice Roumain" for
violin and orchestra by George Enescu. That work, performed
by Mr. Lupu in a special concert at the World Exhibition 2000
in Hannover (Germany) is included in the CD recording of the
complete music for violin by George Enescu, which he has made
in collaboration with Valentin Gheorghiu and the Bucharest Philharmonic
Orchestra under the direction of Cristian Mandeal for the Electrecord
label.
In the year 2000, Mr. Lupu received a lifetime achievement award
from the Romanian Cultural Foundation for his efforts to promote
Romanian culture and music internationally.
Much in demand as a pedagogue, Mr. Lupu is a frequent member
of international juries, has given numerous masterclasses and
taught violin courses in England, Holland, Germany, Italy, Romania,
Czech Republic and Poland where in July 2004 he received from
the Ministry of Culture the Award for Outstanding Teaching.
In May 2002 Sherban Lupu has been given the prestigious "Arnold
Beckman" Award from the Research Board of the University
of Illinois towards the recording of the complete works for
violin and piano by Bela Bartók.
In November 2002 Mr. Lupu was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris
Causa by the Academy of Music "G. Dima" from Cluj
(Romania) and in January 2004 the President of Romania has conferred
upon Sherban Lupu the title of Commander of the National Order
of Merit and Service for his worldwide musical and cultural
activities.
Since 2002 Mr. Lupu is the Artistic Director of the International
Festival "The Musical Citadel of Brasov", Romania.
In September 2005 Sherban Lupu organized the American premiere
of the Opera "Oedipus" by George Enescu at the University
of Illinois and the Symposium "Oedipus Myth and Its Interpretation"
Also, in September 2005, together with the Romanian Cultural
Institute Mr. Lupu has published six volumes of previously unknown
works for violin by George Enescu. The works were discovered,
edited, and aranged by Sherban Lupu.
For the academic year 2005-2006 Sherban Lupu has been appointed
as Associate of the Center for Advanced Studies at University
of Illinois and since December 2005 Mr. Lupu is the Artistic
Director of the George Enescu Society of the United States.
In 2007 Sherban Lupu received again the prestigious "Arnold
Beckman" Award from the Research Board of the University
of Illinois and was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris causa
from the Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania.
Mr. Lupu was awarded the prestigious Fullbright Grant for the
academic year 2009 - 2010.