Petru Munteanu

 Petru Munteanu received his professional training in Bucharest from Prof. G. Manoliu (pupil of Enescu) and took part in Master Classes with J. Jankelevitsch (Moscow) and M. Weimann (St. Petersburg).

A life-long artistic friendship with Stefan Gheorghiu, one of the most important Romanian violinists (pupil of Enescu and DavidOistrakh) has also influenced him. After finishing his studies, he became a director of the Special School of Music in Bucharest and supervised the music studies of approx. 1000pupils. Many young violinists became famous and had a prosperous career after attending this School.

After a period, Prof. Munteanu became a professor at the University of Musicin Bucharest. After moving to Germany, he became in 1970 a violin professor at the Universities of Music in Lübeck and in Hamburg, where he has been teaching since.

In1994 Prof. Munteanu was offered a professorship at the newly founded University of Musicand Theater in Rostock. As a founding professor and as the head of the string department until 2010, he had a lasting impact on the development of the string section.

The German section of ESTA (European String Teachers Association) has chosen him for the years 2000-2004 as their president. His students are members of the best European orchestras (e.g. at the Berlin and Hamburg Philharmonics, the Bavarian State Opera, the ViennaPhilharmonic). They often won first Prizes at national and international competitions.

His student, Baiba Skride, in addition to winning many important prizes (Paganini, Lipizer etc.)won in 2001 the first Prize at the Queen Elizabeth - Competition in Brussels and began an international career as a concert soloist. Other graduates of his class are as well very successful. Albena Danailova is the first woman ever, who was committed and confirmed as 1st Concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, Hartmut Schill is 1st Concertmaster ofthe Robert Schumann Philharmonie, Lucja Madziar was awarded with a position as 1st Concertmaster of the Lower Saxony State Orchestra of Hannover.

Axel Strauss, winner of numerous competitions and until now, the only German, who has won the first Prize at the"Walter W. Naumbung-Competition" in New York, has been active as a soloist and professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the United States.

Petru Munteanu became nationaly and internationaly well known, through concerts,masterclasses and numerous publications and speeches.

By invitation of several universities, he taught in masterclasses in many countries: in Russia (Moscow, St.Petersburg), Ukraine (Kiev, Kharkov), China (Shanghai), the United States (Brunswick),Spain, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Lithuania, etc.

In 1986,he established the International Violin Competition and the International masterclasses for strings in Kloster Schöntal (Baden-Württemberg) and has since been their artistic director.Many now well-known and successful young violinists have attended both events duringthe past 26 years since their founding. Petru Munteanu was invited to be jury member of major international competitions, such as "Tchaikovsky", "Jampolsky" (Russia), 'Kocian ""Concertino Praga "(Czech Republic)," Wieniawski "(Poland)," Bach "(Leipzig) "Enescu"(Bucharest), "Premio Paganini" (Genoa), "Premio Lipizer" (Gorizia), "Queen Elizabeth"(Brussels), "Szigeti-Hubay" (Budapest), "Vibrarte" (Paris).

His achievements have gained wide recognition; he is "honorary professor" at the University of Brasov (Romania) and was awarded by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Adamkus, with the highest medal of the Republic of Lithuania.