Florin Mantale, hailed as "one of the most promising Romanian pianists of his generation" (Viniciu Moroianu), is an award-winning pianist recognized for his exceptional talent and artistry. In 2023, he made a notable debut at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, captivating the audience with a recital featuring Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit alongside other masterful works. Florin has been the recipient of prestigious scholarships, including the Willem Mengelberg Scholarship from the Concertgebouworkest Foundation in Amsterdam. In 2021, he completed his master’s studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the tutelage of Naum Grubert, earning the Jacques Vonk Fonds Amsterdam Scholarship for his outstanding performance.

 

Born in Roman and later raised in Iași, Florin Mantale has forged a dynamic international career as a soloist, praised for his "unique expressiveness" (Naum Grubert). He has performed in renowned venues across Europe, including the Philharmonie Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Muziekgebouw Eindhoven (Netherlands), the Romanian Athenaeum (Romania), BOZAR (Belgium), Teatro degli Industri (Italy), the Bulgaria Concert Hall (Bulgaria), Philharmonic Hall Ploiești (Romania), and Philharmonic Hall Râmnicu Vâlcea (Romania). His performances have also taken him to Serbia, Spain, Scotland, Italy, Germany, England, and Luxembourg.

 

Florin's career is distinguished by a series of impressive accolades. He secured Second Prize at the San Donà di Piave International Piano Competition in Italy in 2022 and Third Prize at the Recondite Armonie 4th International Piano Competition in 2023. He also won the Public Prize at both the International Vriendcultuurprijs in Tilburg (Netherlands) and the Maastricht Music Award (2019), and was a finalist at the Windsor International Piano Competition (UK, 2019). Among his many other honors are First Prize at the National Olympics for Piano (2015), First Prize at the International Festival of Hungarian Music in Bucharest (2014), the Jury's Prize at the 3rd Jenö Takács International Piano Competition in Oberschützen (Austria, 2014), and the Béla Bartók Prize at the 7th Liszt-Bartók-Ligeti International Piano Competition in Sofia (Bulgaria, 2013).

 

In addition to his competitive successes, Florin has performed at prestigious festivals including the Naarden International Piano Festival (Netherlands), Portogruaro International Music Festival (Italy), Touches International Festival (Luxembourg), Mayfield Festival of Music and the Arts (UK), and the Stift International Festival (Netherlands). He has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Norma Fisher, Enrico Pace, Vitaly Shamoshko, Nino Gvetadze, Mariam Batsashvili, and Paul Komen. Florin’s earlier studies were under the guidance of Katia Veekmans, Claudia Alexa, Andrei Enoiu-Panzariu, Iulian Arcadi-Trofin, Carmen Zaharia-Danicov, and Lia Voinea.

 

In 2017, Florin made his orchestral debut with the Ion Dumitrescu Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major under the baton of Florin Totan—a performance facilitated by his Grand Prize victory at the Irina Șațchi Piano Competition in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania (2013). The year 2014 was particularly significant for Florin, highlighted by his First Prize win at the Dinu Lipatti International Competition in Bucharest, another First Prize at the National Music Olympics for Piano, and the prestigious "Distinction Student of the Year" award, conferred by the Romanian Inspectorate for Education, recognizing him as the top student across all disciplines in Iași. Since 2022, Florin has served as the founder and professor at the Amsterdam Piano Academy.