The composer Alexandra Cherciu is born in Romania, in 1983. She studied composition with Liana Alexandra (The National University of Music of Bucharest) and Éric Tanguy (Conservatoire „Paul Dukas” of Paris), receiving two prestigious scholarships from the « Nadia and Lili Boulanger » International Center (Paris, 2009-2010) and the « Casa de Velázquez » Foundation (Madrid, 2011). In 2013, she received a composition prize from The Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania for the lieder cycle 5 rondeaux on lyrics by Al. Macedonski.
She participated at music colloquiums in Bucharest, Domrémy, Paris (Université Paris 8, Ircam), Toulouse (Institut Catholique) and Braşov, and at several international festivals: Days of Contemporary Music – Bacău („Mihail Jora” Philharmonic, 2013), Meridian – Bucharest (Casa „Dinu Lipatti”, 2018), Organ Nights (Braşov – 2020), Classic for Teens (Focsani, 2023). Her music is published by the Musical Publishing House, in Bucharest. She is member of the UCMR since 2007.
For almost a decade, she studied a very important slice of the Late French Medieval History, the history of Joan of Arc, first as a scholar of the Boulanger Center, then as a student at the Sorbonne University. The result was the composition of an opera and the writing of a PhD thesis, obtained at the Paris 1 University, under the scientific supervision of professor Jean-Marc Chouvel. The publication of a series of scores dedicated to Joan of Arc is in process at the Musical Publishing House of the UCMR. The thesis was published by the Parisian Publishing House L’Harmattan in 2018 and is entitled La dramaturgie devant l’histoire. La figure de Jeanne d’Arc dans l’opéra et l’oratorio européens depuis 1938. It was launched at the editor house in May 2019.
Beginning with 2009, the composer regularly accomplishes residencies at the Cité des Arts and the Cité Universitaire of Paris. In December 2019, she created the cultural association „Rodia”, in Île-de-France, which has the purpose to produce and promote performances in different fields of art (music, theater, poetry) and to organize book launchings. She is living in Bucharest, where she is a piano teacher at the “Dinu Lipatti” Lyceum.
Beginning with 2021, she is member of the RogoArt Association of Focşani, which organize the gorgeous soirées of a Cultural Studio (painting, music, poetry). Here, she discovered a new passion: painting.
In 2023, she graduated a stained glass course taught by Atelier Vitralii-Tiffany Concept and since then, she creates in this domain too. Recently, she launched a page with this kind of objects on the Singulart online platform, in addition to paintings.
Beginning with 2023, she is member of jury in the International Music Competition for Youth “Dinu Lipatti”.
For several years, she is very enthusiastic about the scientific studies accomplished on the most important relic of Christianity, the Shroud of Turin. She participated recently at the course “La Sindone e l’insegnamento della Religione Cattolica”, organized by the Ateneo Pontificio “Regina Apostolorum” of Rome (2023-2024, online). As a natural consequence of this new preoccupation, she is willing to disseminate this precious knowledge in Romania, by translating books and articles of multidisciplinary content from Italian, English or French.
The musical activity of Alexandra Cherciu is mentionned in The Universal Dictionary of Women Creators (des femmes – Antoinette Fouque Publishing House, 2013), in an article signed by the French musicologist Pierrette Germain-David. The project, under the UNESCO patronage, has an online version, constantly up to date.
