“A stunning original pianist with musical insight and maturity that could inspire envy in colleague twice his age.” (Gramophone Magazine, 2016)

 Young Brazilian of Romanian origin, Cristian Budu is an outstanding pianist of his generation. A passionate communicator owner of remarkable artistry, his colorful playing and sensitive pianism have achieved international recognition. At early age he was awarded first prizes in multiple national contests like the Nelson Freire Competition or the Preludio Competition at Cultura TV. In September 2013 he won the prestigious Clara Haskil Piano Competition in Switzerland. Amongst laureates of previous editions are names like Richard Goode, Christoph Eschenbach, Till Fellner, Martin Helmchen and Evgeny Korolyov. Besides the Grand Prize, he was also awarded the Children’s Corner prize and the Audience Prize.

Cristian already appeared as a soloist with the Suisse Romande Orchestra, the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, the Minas Gerais Philarmonic Orchestra. In the United States, he had solo appearances in Jordan Hall, at the Rockport Music Festival, also taught a masterclass at the Massachusetts University and gave recitals of solo and chamber music in Boston, New York, and several other states. In Europe, he played in Toulouse (Piano aux Jacobins), Geneva (Les Grands Interprètes), la Chaux-de-Fonds, Biel, Delft Festival in the Netherlands, Clara Haskil International Festival in Sibiu, Zermatt Festival, Lugano Musica and Gstaad Mehuhin Festival.

Recently he played among others a recital in Verbier, a duo concert in Glasgow with Antonio Meneses and he returned to the Zermatt Festival, playing chamber music with Renaud Capuçon and the Sharoun Ensemble Berlin.

Acknowledged also by his chamber music sensitivity, Cristian has collaborated with Antonio Meneses, Christian Poltera, Esther Hoppe, Alexandra Soumm and In Mo Yang.

Cristian graduated from the University of Sao Paulo, where he had as professor the pianist Eduardo Monteiro. In the United States he became Master in Pianistic Performance with Wha´Kyung Byun, being granted a special scholarship from the New England Conservatory in Boston.

His first CD with Chopin's Preludes and Beethoven’s Bagatelles op. 33 was released in May 2016 under the Swiss label Claves Records. It received great critical acclaim (5 Diapason from the French magazine Diapason and Editor’s Choice from the magazine Gramophone).