BIOGRAPHY
Hailed as a pianist that displays “an expressive and unleashed interpretation, transcending all the technical challenges of the score…a gift to the audience” (Romanian Music Radio), Catalin Dima has established himself as one of the leading artists of his generation. Catalin performed in acclaimed venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Klavierhaus, the International House, and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York City, the Cosmos Club and the International House in Washington D.C., the Preston Bradley Hall in Chicago, the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, the Geneva Conservatory of Music, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Thalia Concert Hall in Sibiu, the Mihail Jora Philharmonic Hall in Bacau, the Oltenia Philharmonic Hall in Craiova, and the Pitesti Philharmonic Hall.
Catalin is a prize winner of numerous international piano competitions, including Karl Filtsch International Piano Competition (Sibiu), Pro Piano International Competition (Bucharest), Yamaha Piano Competition (Bucharest), Fr. Chopin International Piano Competition (Hartford, CT), and Shenandoah Concerto Competition (Winchester, VA).
His engagements with orchestras include concerts with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (Bucharest), the Pitesti Philharmonic Orchestra (Pitesti), the Washington Sinfonietta (Washington D.C.), the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (Winchester, VA), and the Symphonic Winds (SOSU).
In his pursuit for innovative programming in concerts and recordings, Catalin combines mainstream and rare piano repertoire, often focusing on Romanian, American, and
Japanese composers. Catalin worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers such as David Lang, Jennifer Higdon, and John Corigliano, and performed in concerts with distinguished music groups dedicated to contemporary music such as Edge Ensemble (Shenandoah Conservatory) and Great Noise Ensemble (Washington D.C). Together with violinist Alexandru Malaimare, he started a duo project that includes lectures and concerts and promotes Romanian music throughout the U.S. Their engagements include tours in Indiana, Illinois, D.C., Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas.
A frequent guest artist and adjudicator, Catalin Dima is a member of the Music Teachers National Association and College Music Society. He has served as a judge for festivals and competitions such as the Denison Piano Competition in Denison, TX, the 26th Washington Conservatory of Music Festival in Washington D.C., the NVMTA Piano Achievement Awards in Fairfax, VA, and the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy Festival in Winchester, VA.
As a performer Catalin participated in renowned international music festivals such as the International Keyboard Institute and Festival (NYC), the Interharmony International Music Festival (Germany), and the International Summer Academy Prague-Wien-Budapest (Austria).
A native of Bucharest, Romania, Catalin holds degrees from Shenandoah University (D.M.A.), Mannes School of Music (M.M.), and the Romanian National University of Music in Bucharest (M.M., B.M.). Currently Catalin serves on the music faculty at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He is also the founder and the artistic director of the Texoma Piano Competition and the artistic director of the Musical Art Series at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. When he is not working, Catalin enjoys swimming, biking, camping, and hiking in the mountains.