From Fjords to Iași: Arias Performed at Scandinavia Music School

Scandinavia Music School is a story at the beginning of its journey, built from the experience of a musician trained in Romania and matured in Norway. Behind the soundproofed rooms and a small recital stage lies a personal need that has become an educational vision.

A Personal Need Transformed into Vision

"Scandinavia Music School was born from a somewhat personal need: after more than twenty years of career and life in Norway, I felt that everything I experienced there – rigor, respect, tranquility, professionalism – must somehow be brought back home. Romania shaped me as an artist, Scandinavia shaped me as a person," says tenor Gabriel Bîrjovanu.

"I wanted a modern, elegant, yet deeply human music school, where the student enters not with fear, but with joy and confidence. In a musical world constantly in a hurry, I wanted to create a place where music is studied, but also lived with meaning and joy."

Philosophy: Romanian Talent + Scandinavian Rigor

The pedagogical model is built at the intersection of two traditions. "The Romanian tradition has a unique nobility and depth: it produces powerful, emotional, expressive musicians. After twenty years spent in the North, I discovered the other pole: a way of teaching in which the student is seen as a complete person, not just a voice or an instrumentalist. There I became convinced that performance without well-being does not last over time."

From this meeting was born the formula that guides them: "Our philosophy is one, but with two wings: Romanian talent + Scandinavian rigor".

The Stage – From Technique to Identity

A central place in this concept is occupied by the stage – small, intimate, but designed as a space of transformation. "The stage experience is, for me, the moment when the student moves from technique to identity. You can rehearse impeccably in a classroom, but true transformation only happens when you step on a stage – no matter how small it may be."

The first appearance, he says, profoundly changes a student: "In a few minutes you see how emotion becomes courage, and insecurity transforms into concentration. The stage forces them to be present, to breathe, to listen to their body and the music, to transmit."

Iași Has a Rare Artistic Energy

In a city with an Opera, Philharmonic, Conservatory, and festivals, Gabriel sees the school as a connecting link: "Iași has a rare artistic energy. I think what was missing was a laboratory of positive energy, where children and young people can develop personally, with much empathy, without pressure, without comparisons, without barriers. This is where I see our role."

Hence his definition: "Scandinavia Music School comes as a bridge-place: between large institutions and the young generation, between tradition and innovation, between performance and personal development." The ultimate goal? "To train a generation of young people who not only sing well, but sing with meaning."

The School Team

The school team is built from two generations that complement each other: established teachers and some of the best students in their final years at the Conservatory. "A good teacher is not just one who sings impeccably, but one who has character, patience, common sense, balance, and an energy that can be transmitted to a student, whether 6 or 60 years old."

"Senior teachers inspire, shape, transmit tradition. The young ones energize, innovate, create closeness and relaxation. This is how balance was created: through diversity, through trust, through complementarity."

A Message for Those Who Hesitate

"Take the first step! No one starts prepared, not even the greatest artists. Courage comes after you start, not before. If you feel the call, if a melody moves you, if you find yourself singing alone, it means there is already something in you worth listening to. You don't need the perfect voice or perfect time. You just have to say: 'I'll try.' At Scandinavia Music School we grow people at their own pace, with patience, gentleness and professionalism. Start! The rest comes along the way."