The Fortified Church of Biertan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, serves as a central venue for the ICon Arts Festival.
 On Friday, August 1st, at 6:00 PM, Costin Soare and Dragoș Ilie will perform a guitar concert alongside the participants of the ICon Arts Academy.
 This event is co-financed by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Sibiu County Council.

COSTIN SOARE

Costin Soare is one of the most acclaimed and active Romanian musicians, successfully combining an impressive concert career (as a guitarist and lutenist) with a strong teaching career (professor at the “Dinu Lipatti” National College of Arts in Bucharest and associate lecturer at the National University of Music Bucharest from 2002 to 2023). He also serves as the artistic director of the International Guitar Festival “Serile de Chitară” (Guitar Evenings), a successful project that brings together top guitarists from all over the world.

With experience gained from 13 international tours (over 80 concerts performed in Romania and abroad – Hungary, Denmark, China – as a soloist or alongside renowned musicians such as flutist Ion Bogdan Ștefănescu, violinists Valentin Șerban and Vlad Maistorovici, violist Marius Ungureanu, mezzo-soprano Claudia Codreanu, actress Daniela Nane, actor Ionel Barac, and guitarist Ioan Bănescu as part of Duo HESPERUS), he has released three solo albums: Nocturne și dansuri (2014), Oglinzi (2020), Orașe invizibile și ființe imaginare – Contemporary Romanian Music for Guitar (2021),

and a chamber music album in 2017, Twenty Shades of Music (with Ion Bogdan Ștefănescu). With over 250 concerts performed nationally and internationally, Costin Soare is a tireless promoter of classical music, bringing attention to the intimate voice and broad repertoire of the classical guitar.

Passionate about contemporary music, he initiated a unique project in the Romanian guitar scene entitled Musica..., part of the “Guitar Evenings” Festival, aiming to stimulate composition for the guitar, an instrument often overlooked by major Romanian composers.

Since its launch in 2012 at the “George Enescu” National Museum, he has performed over 25 world premieres by composers such as Dan Dediu, Carmen Cârneci, Violeta Dinescu, Gabriel Almași, Gabriel Mălăncioiu, Șerban Marcu, Cătălin Ștefănescu-Pătrașcu, Sebastian Androne, and Sebastian Țună.

In 2022 and 2023, he revived and performed Dumitru Capoianu’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, the first Romanian guitar concerto, after more than 30 years since its premiere, with orchestras from Iași, Sibiu, Bacău, and Ploiești.

He holds a Master’s degree from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, UK, on a full scholarship from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Between 2006–2008, he studied in Japan at the University of Education, Sapporo, on a Japanese Government scholarship, attending courses in orchestral conducting, musical analysis, and orchestration.

In 2011, he obtained a Doctorate in Music (Magna cum laude) for his thesis titled The Guitar Sonata between 1920–1950 – The Neoromantic Generation. From March 2012 to February 2013, he was a post-doctoral researcher at the National University of Music Bucharest, working on a new edition (guitar transcription) of J.S. Bach’s Four Lute Suites.

He has been invited to teach at summer courses such as Academia Sighișoara (2013–2014) and has been involved with ICon Arts Transylvania Academy since 2016, giving concerts and masterclasses each summer.

DRAGOȘ ILIE

Romanian guitarist Dragoș Ilie has emerged as one of the most charismatic and expressive young musicians of his generation, captivating audiences across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

He began studying the guitar at a young age, taught initially by his father. He continued his studies at the “Octav Băncilă” National College of Arts in Iași, under Professor Marius Țîmpău, while also studying with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daniel Dragomirescu.

His artistic perseverance earned him various national and international scholarships, including support from the MOL Foundation for Community, the “Young Talents” program from the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation, the START program, and the “Heirs of Romanian Music” Scholarship from Radio Romania and Rotary Club Pipera.

In 2015, Dragoș received the prestigious Woodruff Scholarship to complete his undergraduate studies at the Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University (USA), under composer and pedagogue Andrew Zohn.

He has won over 40 awards at international competitions, including more than 20 first prizes, at events such as: Koblenz Guitar Festival,
Tokyo Guitar Competition, Culiacan International Competition, Changsha International Guitar Festival, Indiana Guitar Festival,
Columbus Guitar Symposium, Texas A&M Guitar Competition, Miami Guitar Festival.

Dragoș has delivered concerts, masterclasses, and workshops across Europe, the US, and Asia, and has been featured in Classical Guitar Magazine, Gendai Guitar, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

He has performed with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra and the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, supported by the “Heirs of Romanian Music” scholarship.

Active in chamber music, Dragoș joined the Austin Guitar Quartet in 2021. Their debut album, The Singing Guitar, was Grammy-nominated, alongside the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Texas Guitar Quartet, and choral ensemble Conspirare. Their recent performances include Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich, in collaboration with the Austin Ballet Company.

In 2022, he toured in the “Stradivarius – Paganini Magic” project alongside renowned violinist Alexandru Tomescu, performing Paganini’s Centone di Sonate in 17 concerts across 13 Romanian cities.

In 2020, Dragoș joined Ex-Aequo, a nonprofit organization aiming to be a global reference point in the guitar world. During the pandemic, Ex-Aequo launched online workshops, masterclasses, concerts, and a competition with over 200 participants.

One of his latest projects, Changing the Canon, featured 9 African-American composers creating original works for guitar. The project resulted in a CD and video recording, available across digital platforms.

Dedicated to promoting Romanian repertoire, Dragoș’s debut CD includes both arrangements (works by Ciprian Porumbescu, Béla Bartók) and pieces by contemporary Romanian composers. The album, recorded in partnership with Radio România Muzical, is published by Casa Radio.

He is currently completing his Doctoral Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, studying with renowned guitarist Adam Holzman, while also working as a teaching assistant at the university.

Passionate about preventing injuries among musicians, Dragoș incorporates somatic education methods like Body Mapping into his teaching practice.

He is represented by Augustine Strings, the world’s first classical guitar string company, and currently plays guitars by Gernot Wagner (donated by Carson McKowen), Steven Walter, and Martin Blackwell.

source