Ioan-David Ursei, violin
Francisco Miguel Ramonda, violin
Mihai Todoran, viola
Vlad Campean, cello
The Outis Quartet was founded in 2019 by four colleagues at the National Music University of Bucharest, Romania, with the desire to discover, study and create music together. The ensemble follows an autonomous, democratic way of working, and likes to explore a wide range of repertoires and sonorities, interacting with different non-conventional venues.
Since the beginning of its activity, the quartet has received valuable advice and mentoring from Dan Prelipcean (cellist at Voces Quartet), Abel Tomás (Cuarteto Casals), and Marius Ungureanu (violist and performer – Aalborg Symphony Orchestra). During its first year of activity the ensemble has played in cities such as Sighisoara and Timisoara, Bucharest and currently shares cultural projects with District 40 and Mihai Eminescu Trust.
In 2020 Outis has been chosen as a member of the program for young ensembles organized by Festival Sonoro and has been invited by Mihai Eminescu Trust Foundation as an Artist in Residence in Malancrav, Transylvania. The quartet opened the chamber music concert season at the Sutu Palace, Bucharest, invited by Fundatia ACCUMM and has concert engagements in different Romanian cities for the 2020-2021 season.
Furthermore, Outis has the honor to be the first Artist in Residence at George Enescu ́s memorial house in Mihaileni, Romania, invited by the Pro Patrimonio Foundation. The quartet engaged itself in an immersive working process at the composer’s house, after which the Ensemble inaugurated the “Concerte pe Siret” Festival playing music by Enescu and Belà Bartok, combined with tunes from the Balcanic space and a new piece composed for the occasion by Victor Sandu. The results of this experience, together with the reconstruction process of the house, will be gathered in a Documentary Film directed by Francisc Mraz.
The Outis Quartet has has received a scholarship to take part in the Académie Ravel, during the Ravel Festival 2021 in Saint-Jean de Luz, France, with the internationally renowned Quatuor Diotima as their artistic tutor. Subsequently the Ensemble participated in the Stage de Promenois, organized by the Pirolo Stiftung (Basel) in the French region of Bourgogne, in which Outis has received masterclasses by Professors such as Adelina Oprean, Laura Andriani (Alcan Quartet), Miguel Angel Viñuela and Juan Maria Braceras. During this Tour, the Ensemble has offered concerts throughout France and Switzerland.
During the Autumn of 2021, the quartet has played and co-composed a series of multi disciplinary performances under the project “Becoming Landscape”, together with Diana Miron and Laurentiu Cotac (composers and members of the Hyperion Ensemble Bruxelles), and visual artists.
The Quartet is already engaged in diverse projects for the 2022 Season, such as an artistic Residence at the Romanian Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020, invited by the Romanian Ministry of External Affairs. Furthermore, the Ensemble is strongly committed to its continuous development and has been selected for two ProQuartet Masterclass Sessions, during which the Outis’ will work with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Lorenza Borrani, Isabel Charisius and Alasdair Tait, and has also been invited to participate in the Program MUSA – European young MUsicians soft Skills Alliance, to be taking place at La Ferme de Villefavard in April 2022, following courses on mental and physical preparation, sound recording and the musical industry. As well as its musical studies, the quartet works periodically in Bucharest with actress Ana Maria Pop, focusing on developing rhetorical, communicational, and expresive skills, as well as competences on improvisation, memory, concentration, team work and technics to combat stage fright.
DAVID, FRANCISCO, MIHAI AND VICTOR
David Ursei is currently studying violin on the fourth year of the Bachelor’s Degree in Music at the National Music University of Bucharest, in the class of Professor Ioana Croitoru. Formerly he has studied in his home town, and then at the Sigismund Toduta College, in Cluj Napoca.
Francisco Ramonda has finished his Bachelor Degree and Masters Degree in Music (violin) at the National Music University of Bucharest, in the class of Professor Corina Bololoi. Formerly he has studied with José Bondar (La Plata, Argentina), Angela Sinell (Berlin, Germany) and Mihaela Mailat (Bucharest, Romania).
Mihai Todoran is currently studying viola at the third year of the Bachelor’s Degree in Music at the National Music University in Bucharest. Before that he studied at Sigismund Toduta School (Deva), Berzei School of Music (Bucharest) and the George Enescu National College (Bucharest).
Victor Sandu helds both Bachelor’s and Masters Degree in Music (cello) from the National Music University of Bucharest, in the class of Professor Marin Cazacu. Before arriving in Bucharest, he studied at the Sigismund Toduta College in his home town, Cluj Napoca.
