Daniel Maniou

Adjunct | Music Theory

Email: dmanoiu@fiu.edu

Daniel Manoiu was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1985. From an early age, he was regarded as a very promising pianist. At the “George Enescu” Music High School in Bucharest, he studied with one of Romania ‘s most renowned professors, Olga Szel. Under her guidance, Daniel Manoiu won several awards at prestigious national and international competitions, including the AMSA World Piano Competition in Cincinnati , OH (3rd Prize) and the Rivere D’Oro Giovanni Talenti Competition in San Bartolomeo, Italy (1st prize). He has performed at important music venues such as the Carnegie Recital Hall and the United Nations Auditorium in New York.

Daniel began his composition studies privately with Dr. Valentin Petculescu. He completed his undergraduate studies at the National University of Music in Bucharest , where he majored in both music composition and piano performance. His principal professor was Dr. Doina Rotaru, one of Romania ‘s leading contemporary composers. He had important achievements in both composition and piano performance, winning the Profil Special Award for his composition “Extreme Percussions” for piano and one percussionist, as well as performing Bella Bartok’s Rhapsody no. 1 for piano and orchestra with the Transylvania Symphony, one of Romania’s leading orchestras. During his undergraduate studies, he wrote music for a variety of ensembles and soloists and had his works performed at major venues in Romania, such as the recital hall of the Palace Cantacuzino in Bucharest. In June 2007 he performed his composition Vitreous for piano and orchestra for his graduation recital to much critical acclaim.

In Fall 2007, Daniel Manoiu began his graduate studies in Music Composition with Dr. Orlando Garcia at Florida International University in Miami, where he was a Teaching Assistant. In addition to his work with Dr. Garcia he has worked with Dr. Paula Matthusen on electro acoustic music and additional piano studies with Kemal Gekic. In January 2009, Daniel Manoiu was commissioned by the New World Symphony Orchestra (NWSO) in Miami Beach to write Trei for piano, flute and percussion. The piece was premiered by the NWSO as part of a concert featuring new works influenced by the music of Charles Ives. Daniel Manoiu graduated from Florida International University in May 2009 with a Master in Music degree and was hired as an Adjunct Professor starting in August 2009.

Daniel was accepted into the Doctoral program in Theory and Composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he studied composition with Dr. Dennis Kam. During his DMA studies, he began exploring the realm of film scoring. In 2011, he won the Society of Composers prize for Best Original Music at the University of Miami Scares & Scores film festival, and he wrote the original music for feature film Puzzle for a Blind Man (2013). Upon completing his doctorate, Daniel Manoiu was appointed part time lecturer at the University of Miami, where he is currently directing the Other Music Ensemble.