I come from the Republic of Moldova, where my journey with the piano began at the age of seven. I was born into a family of musicians — my parents and grandparents played the haunting, soulful melodies of traditional Moldovan folk music. Music was in my blood long before I understood its weight or wonder. How could I have become anything else? From the moment my fingers first touched the keys, the piano became a companion I could not imagine living without. In the capital’s music school, the first stones of my musical path were quietly, steadily laid.

At nineteen, I crossed borders into a country that would change everything: Finland. I spent nine years there, studying with teachers who did more than guide my hands — they opened my heart to the deeper purpose of teaching itself. Finland’s education system is celebrated worldwide for its progressive and humane philosophy, and through it, I found myself. As a child, tender and easily bruised, I once stood at the edge of giving up music altogether. But Finland’s gentle teachers, with their quiet patience and unwavering belief, showed me how transformative kindness can be. They taught me that learning can be an act of love.

That lesson shaped my own philosophy as a teacher. I strive to create a space that is warm, steady, and alive with encouragement — a space where progress is celebrated, but never demanded with fear. I want my students, whether young or grown, to learn not because they must, but because they are moved to. Because they feel safe enough to fail, to try again, to bloom.

When I came to Vancouver, I brought my music with me. Here, I continue as a freelance teacher and as part of the East Vancouver Community Music School. Performance remains my second great love. I play in two duos: Lacribeth, where we wander through the landscapes of jazz, and Fetele din Balkani, where I honor my grandfather’s dream of me becoming a true Balkan musician.

Yet classical music is still the quiet center of all I do. My Master’s degree from the Sibelius Academy — one of the world’s great musical institutions — reminds me daily of the depth, the rigor, and the quiet devotion that classical music demands.

And still, I remain a student myself. My students remind me: the more we learn, the more vast the unknown becomes.

I am moved by inspiration and hope, in turn, to inspire. Beyond music, I am drawn to the wild beauty of abstract painting, to the depths of psychology, to poetry, to contemporary dance, and to the slow, searching cinema of Tarkovsky and Lynch.

I hope this gives you a glimpse into the music of my life.