Contributor: Maria-Cristina Necula

Maria-Cristina Necula's published work includes the books "The Voice Beneath the Quince Tree: A Memoir of Growing Up in Communist Romania", "The Don Carlos Enigma: Variations of Historical Fictions" and "Life in Opera: Truth, Tempo and Soul", two translations: "Europe à la carte" and Molière’s "The School for Wives," and the collection of poems "Evanescent." Her articles and interviews have been featured in "Classical Singer" Magazine, "Opera America," "Das Opernglas," "Studies in European Cinema," and "Opera News." As a classically trained singer she has performed in the New York City area at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Florence Gould Hall, and the Westchester Broadway Theatre, and has presented on opera at The Graduate Center, Baruch, The City College of New York, and UCLA Southland. She speaks six languages, two of which she honed at the Sorbonne University in Paris and the University of Vienna, and she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from The Graduate Center, CUNY. In 2022, Maria-Cristina was awarded a New York Press Club Award in the Critical Arts Review category for her review of Matthew Aucoin's "Eurydice" at the Metropolitan Opera, published on Woman Around Town. She was a 2022-24 Fellow of The Writers' Institute at The Graduate Center. Currently, Maria-Cristina serves as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Lehman College. https://mariacristinanecula.com/

Geirangerfjord is one of Norway’s most popular tourist destinations. In 2005, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Maria-Cristina Necula recently visited.

I had the privilege of meeting opera superstar Renée Fleming in 2005 when I interviewed her for Classical Singer magazine. Four years later, that interview was featured in my book Life in Opera. It was…

I had the pleasure of meeting Rhina Valentin when she interviewed me about my memoir on BronxNet Television’s show OPEN. From the very first words we shared in conversation, I knew that I was in…

Award-winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman’s extraordinarily multifaceted career as a piano soloist, chamber musician, educator, curator, producer, and filmmaker has garnered her vast praise and accolades. She was selected as one of Musical America’s Top…

On May 7th, American Classical Orchestra (ACO), led by its Artistic Director and Founder Thomas Crawford, regaled audiences with a splendid concert at Alice Tully Hall—it was the last concert of ACO’s 40th anniversary season.…

I reviewed the new production of Aida in January, and would not have revisited it were it not for its new cast members. Three exceptional singers compelled me to write a few words and encourage…

Aruba is called “one happy island.” Happiness lies in the constancy of the weather, the friendly people, the soothing breeze, the welcoming, serene, perfect-temperature water. About 19.6 miles long and six miles wide, bordered by…

There has been much hype around the star-studded Othello currently playing at the Barrymore Theatre. Its two protagonists, Denzel Washington in the title role and Jake Gyllenhaal (Iago) are major Hollywood stars, and tickets to…