About
Romanian Jazz International is a new platform aiming to present Romanian jazz music on the European and world scene.
RJI believes that the contemporary improvised Romanian music adds value to the international jazz scene, and made it its mission to emphasize the presence of Romanian jazz musicians in the sector.
RJI was created to raise awareness in regard to the cultural value, identity, and diversity of Romanian jazz music and support its development across borders.
RJI’s mission is to stimulate the growth of opportunities and reach of Romanian jazz musicians to organizers and audiences by emphasizing the power of their artistic expression, positioning Romanian Jazz on the international creative music scene.
RJI reserves its rights to select the collaborating artists based on a transparent and objective set of criteria which come to meet international market standards of artistic quality.
RJI encourages information and knowledge exchange, and invites all field professionals to contact and meet its representatives at field meetings, conferences, fairs, and other professional and networking events.
Activities:
International Collaborations
Curating Performance
Booking & Management
Artistic Consultancy
Concert Organising
Workshops & Lectures
Romanian Jazz International is the initiative of:
Raluca Baicu – an active member of the international arts & culture scene, specialised in music performance. Based in Rotterdam, Raluca is professionally trained in classical and jazz clarinet performance, and holds a MA in Cultural Economics & Entrepreneurship. She performs activities within the area of cultural management and international collaborations, she is a founder and member of diverse cultural initiatives, and is actively involved with international artistic projects through cultural consultancy, programme coordination, artistic programming, production, and research. Her interest lies within the role of arts in cultural and social development, decision-making, audience development, the artistic experience, the quality and value of the arts, and beyond.
Alex Simu – an award-winning, internationally acclaimed clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer. Active in the jazz and world music scenes, Alex has played and toured professionally in 39 countries over 5 continents with important figures from the field, and gained an outstanding position as composer within the international film industry. In 2016, he was awarded with the Golden Calf by the Dutch Film Academy for the Best Music of Beyond Sleep, followed by the 2018 BUMA Award for the Original Film Score composed for Verdwijnen – Disappearance, and the 2018 Buma Award Best Original Composition in Documentary, for Back to the Taj Mahal Hotel. Since 2015, Alex is the clarinet teacher of the jazz and world music departments of the Codarts Conservatory of Rotterdam. He is active in the field of organology and clarinet synthesis, has innovated the tenor clarinet, as well as brought into contemporary use the alto clarinet, clarinet d’amour, and the bass clarinet d’amour.
George Dumitriu – a poly-instrumentalist performer and composer, internationally active in the fields of jazz, improvised music, contemporary classical and music theatre. He is known for his mastery on viola, violin, and guitar performed with the enrichment of live electronics. Following a professional exploration which brought him from Bucharest to Groningen, Amsterdam, and New York, George built a vast international career characterised by collaborations on renowned projects, and has shared the stage with some of the most important figures in the field. Since 2014, George Dumitriu is guest guitar teacher at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam, and viola teacher at the Prins Claus Conservatorium Groningen.