’I love the freedom of the course, as you have space to develop at your own speed: I can set my own routine and work towards where I want to achieve,’ says the violist
I first came to the TU Dublin Conservatoire on an exchange semester through the Erasmus programme. My quartet was looking for a place to study abroad and some friends recommended it here. Fortunately they were happy to have all four of us! We stayed for one term, and it was an amazing time. Once I finished my undergraduate degree at home in Romania, I realised that my teacher here, Andreea Banciu, was perfect for me and decided to come back.
Banciu is violist of the Contempo Quartet, and studying with her has been wonderful since the first lesson. Her quartet is also Romanian, so we have a special personal connection as well. She’s helped me so much to open up, both musically and professionally.
As a master’s student, I mainly have viola lessons and chamber music rehearsals, as well as orchestral projects every few weeks. I only have classes two or three days per week at most, so it’s very flexible.
The conservatoire is quite small, but the facilities are really good: the building is very new and modern, the recital halls have great acoustics, and luckily we don’t have to fight over practice rooms! Most of the students and staff are local and Irish, with some international students through Erasmus.
I love the freedom of the course, as you have space to develop at your own speed: I can set my own routine and work towards where I want to achieve. We don’t feel we are competing with each other, which is often the case in larger conservatoires..
There are great opportunities, too, like the lunchtime recitals where you can perform your solo or chamber music repertoire, recording opportunities with professional sound engineers, and orchestral projects – one has even led me to work in Germany with the Dresden Festival Orchestra for Wagner’s Götterdämmerung.
My advice as a master’s student is to make the most of the flexibility, and to knock on every door. If you need help with anything, ask, or if you see an opportunity, grab it, even when it seems difficult.
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