Vocalist Camelia Voin sings classical Romanian art songs

The crowd cheered as Camelia Voin emerged onto the stage in a long, flowing purple gown. She walked to the center and smiled at the audience, holding her position until the room was in complete silence.

After a few seconds, the sounds of the piano began to fill the air, and she started singing.

Voin, a lyric colortura soprano, performed an intimate recital of Romanian songs Tuesday night at Ford-Crawford Hall.

She was accompanied by pianist Gary Barnett as she sang works from an array of Romanian composers, including Tiberiu Brediceanu, Mansi Barberis, Mihail Jora and Dinu Lipatti.

“I hope the audience takes away the spirit of Romania and its culture,” Voin said.
Voin, who is originally from Transylvania, Romania, has performed on some of the most famous stages in the world and participated in several international music competitions.

She is a professor of voice at Claremont Graduate University, California Baptist University and University of California, Riverside, and still maintains an active performance career. 

She said music has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember.
“My father sang beautifully and he always taught me folk songs and from there I was always on stage,” she said.

Although she started singing at an early age, Voin didn’t develop an interest in classical music until her teenage years after she was introduced to it by a music teacher.

Today, she performs operas, oratorios and recitals. She said she loves all types of performances because they act as learning experiences and expose her to new things.

While Voin doesn’t have a favorite type of performance, she does have a favorite
composer.

“I love singing Bellini,” she said. “It just suits my voice very well.”

Voin didn’t perform any Bellini at Tuesday’s recital, but she did sing music about which she’s equally passionate.

“I am interested in promoting Romanian music,” she said. “Some of this music is very difficult to find and I think it’s so beautiful and I would love for the new generation to hear these songs.”

Follow Jacob’s School of Music reporter Rachel Osman on Twitter @rachosman.