Early Days
Iulia Sinescu began her music studies at the “Sigismund Toduță” Art High School, where she was guided in the study of the violin and viola by Professor Adrian Lazăr, and in her later years in classical singing by Professors Maria Copăcian and Cristina Moldovan. She was a member of the Lira and Orfeu choirs, with which she took part in numerous choral competitions and festivals under the guidance of Professor Gelu Onțanu-Crăciun, and also participated in various competitions in music theory studies, supported by Professor Camelia Vânătoru.
Further training
As a student since 2019 in the Composition (Prof. Dr. Adrian Pop) and Classical Singing (Prof. Univ. Dr. Carmen Ferenczi-Gurban and Assist. PhD candidate Maria-Cristina Damian) departments at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, Iulia Sinescu has taken part in various workshops and masterclasses in the field of musical composition. These include the courses held within the Vacanțe Muzicale creative camp in Piatra-Neamț, led by Irinel Anghel, Diana Rotaru, and Alexandru Murariu; film music workshops conducted by Cristian Lolea and Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi; as well as the Duo in Residence score-reading sessions with Alexandre Jamar, Cristian Spătaru, and Ensemble Couleurs, coordinated by Alexandru Murariu, where she participated in the capacity of composer.
In 2022, within the framework of the Primaverba concert at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, Iulia Sinescu made her debut as a composer with the lieder Der Atlas, performed by bass-baritone Mădălin Claudiu and pianist Adrian Farcaș, and Darkness, performed by mezzo-soprano Vanesa Chiorean and pianist Tiberiu Herdlicska.
Theater debut
In 2023, Iulia Sinescu completed her undergraduate university studies in Composition and Classical Singing at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, and continued with master’s studies in Composition at the same institution, under the guidance of Prof. Univ. Dr. Adrian Borza. Her work Esmeralda for solo piano was premiered at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, performed by pianist Ioan Mihăilescu, while the didactic choral work În canon was awarded Third Prize at the National Choral Composition Competition for Young Composers, Coraliada.
In the summer of the same year, she was selected to take part in the Fresh Start residency at Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca as a composer. As a result of this residency, she composed the soundtrack for the theatre production Memoriile unui Lolo, which was performed at Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca and at Replika Theatre in Bucharest.
International debut
The year 2024 marked the international debut of composer Iulia Sinescu, through the performance of her piece Esmeralda by pianist Lidia Guerberof-Hahn. The work was presented on piano and harpsichord in the concerts Mujeres compositoras del mundo at the José Luis Cuevas Museum in Mexico City, and Concierto de piano. Obras de compositoras rumanas at the International Museum of the Baroque in Puebla. The piece was also performed in Lidia Guerberof-Hahn’s recital as part of the 46th edition of the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez in Mexico City.
Iulia Sinescu continued her trajectory in the field of theatre music, composing one of the pieces for the performance Toate cele bune!, presented at Stația / Musical Theatre in Cluj-Napoca. The theatre production Memoriile unui Lolo, for which she composed the soundtrack in the previous year, continued to be performed at Masca Theatre in Bucharest and Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca, as well as at various festivals, including Theater Networking Talents in Craiova and the ȘI Festival in the resort town of 2 Mai.
In September 2024, Iulia Sinescu began her studies at the "Jāzeps Vītols" Latvian Academy of Music in Riga as an Erasmus+ scholarship holder, where she studied classical composition with Assoc. Prof. Ēriks Ešenvalds. During this experience, she attended masterclasses led by Jiří Trtík, and her work Esmeralda was performed at the concert of student composers by pianist Eļzana Šaripova.
New beginnings
In 2025, Iulia Sinescu graduated from the Master’s program in Musical Composition at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca. In the same year, she took part in a Call for Scores organized by the Dutch ensemble Ear to the Earth, as a result of which her piece Lament of the Glaciers was selected and performed in a concert by the ensemble in Bergamo, Italy.
She began her doctoral studies at the “Sigismund Toduță” Doctoral School of the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, in the field of musical creation stylistics, with the dissertation topic Closed Modularity as a Means of Facilitating Interconnection between Performers and the Audience. This concept is explored both theoretically and practically in her works, under the supervision of Prof. Univ. Dr. Cristian Bence-Muk.
In parallel with her doctoral research, she teaches music education at the “Ana Ipătescu” Theoretical High School in Gherla and is a member of the Cappella Transylvanica Choir, conducted by Cornel Groza. She is also a composer-in-residence within two international projects: the Toyful Music Festival in Cyprus and precept.concept.percept. in Slovenia, where she will premiere modular works at upcoming festival editions.
Biography
2007 - 2019 - Early Days
Iulia Sinescu began her music studies at the “Sigismund Toduță” Art High School, where she was guided in the study of the violin and viola by Professor Adrian Lazăr, and in her later years in classical singing by Professors Maria Copăcian and Cristina Moldovan. She was a member of the Lira and Orfeu choirs, with which she took part in numerous choral competitions and festivals under the guidance of Professor Gelu Onțanu-Crăciun, and also participated in various competitions in music theory studies, supported by Professor Camelia Vânătoru.
2019 - 2022 - Refresher, local debut
As a student since 2019 in the Composition (Prof. Dr. Adrian Pop) and Classical Singing (Prof. Univ. Dr. Carmen Ferenczi-Gurban and Assist. PhD candidate Maria-Cristina Damian) departments at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, Iulia Sinescu has taken part in various workshops and masterclasses in the field of musical composition. These include the courses held within the Vacanțe Muzicale creative camp in Piatra-Neamț, led by Irinel Anghel, Diana Rotaru, and Alexandru Murariu; film music workshops conducted by Cristian Lolea and Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi; as well as the Duo in Residence score-reading sessions with Alexandre Jamar, Cristian Spătaru, and Ensemble Couleurs, coordinated by Alexandru Murariu, where she participated in the capacity of composer.
In 2022, within the framework of the Primaverba concert at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, Iulia Sinescu made her debut as a composer with the lieder Der Atlas, performed by bass-baritone Mădălin Claudiu and pianist Adrian Farcaș, and Darkness, performed by mezzo-soprano Vanesa Chiorean and pianist Tiberiu Herdlicska.
2023 - Further studies, debut in theater music
In 2023, Iulia Sinescu completed her undergraduate university studies in Composition and Classical Singing at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, and continued with master’s studies in Composition at the same institution, under the guidance of Prof. Univ. Dr. Adrian Borza. Her work Esmeralda for solo piano was premiered at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music, performed by pianist Ioan Mihăilescu, while the didactic choral work În canon was awarded Third Prize at the National Choral Composition Competition for Young Composers, Coraliada.
In the summer of the same year, she was selected to take part in the Fresh Start residency at Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca as a composer. As a result of this residency, she composed the soundtrack for the theatre production Memoriile unui Lolo, which was performed at Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca and at Replika Theatre in Bucharest.
2024 - International debut, Erasmus+ scholarship
The year 2024 marked the international debut of composer Iulia Sinescu, through the performance of her piece Esmeralda by pianist Lidia Guerberof-Hahn. The work was presented on piano and harpsichord in the concerts Mujeres compositoras del mundo at the José Luis Cuevas Museum in Mexico City, and Concierto de piano. Obras de compositoras rumanas at the International Museum of the Baroque in Puebla. The piece was also performed in Lidia Guerberof-Hahn’s recital as part of the 46th edition of the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez in Mexico City.
Iulia Sinescu continued her trajectory in the field of theatre music, composing one of the pieces for the performance Toate cele bune!, presented at Stația / Musical Theatre in Cluj-Napoca. The theatre production Memoriile unui Lolo, for which she composed the soundtrack in the previous year, continued to be performed at Masca Theatre in Bucharest and Reactor Theatre in Cluj-Napoca, as well as at various festivals, including Theater Networking Talents in Craiova and the ȘI Festival in the resort town of 2 Mai.
In September 2024, Iulia Sinescu began her studies at the “Jāzeps Vītols” Latvian Academy of Music in Riga as an Erasmus+ scholarship holder, where she studied classical composition with Assoc. Prof. Ēriks Ešenvalds. During this experience, she attended masterclasses led by Jiří Trtík, and her work Esmeralda was performed at the concert of student composers by pianist Eļzana Šaripova.
2025 - Master's graduation, new beginnings
In 2025, Iulia Sinescu graduated from the Master’s program in Musical Composition at the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca. In the same year, she took part in a Call for Scores organized by the Dutch ensemble Ear to the Earth, as a result of which her piece Lament of the Glaciers was selected and performed in a concert by the ensemble in Bergamo, Italy.
She began her doctoral studies at the “Sigismund Toduță” Doctoral School of the “Gheorghe Dima” National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, in the field of musical creation stylistics, with the dissertation topic Closed Modularity as a Means of Facilitating Interconnection between Performers and the Audience. This concept is explored both theoretically and practically in her works, under the supervision of Prof. Univ. Dr. Cristian Bence-Muk.
In parallel with her doctoral research, she teaches music education at the “Ana Ipătescu” Theoretical High School in Gherla and is a member of the Cappella Transylvanica Choir, conducted by Cornel Groza. She is also a composer-in-residence within two international projects: the Toyful Music Festival in Cyprus and precept.concept.percept. in Slovenia, where she will premiere modular works at upcoming festival editions.