Catalin Tarcolea was born in Bucharest into a family with strong artistic inclinations; his mother was the principal ballerina of the National Rhapsody Ensemble, while his father was a violinist and conductor. Demonstrating his talent early on, he made his television debut at the age of five, performing a Menuet by Mozart on the violin.
Although he studied the violin at the Music High School, at 17, Catalin became captivated by the nai, choosing it as his primary instrument for his career. Alongside the violin and nai, he also plays the piano, which he studied as a secondary instrument during his specialization in composition, graduating from the Ciprian Porumbescu Academy of Music in 1979.
Catalin Tarcolea has participated in numerous concert tours and recordings both in Romania and internationally. He has appeared on various television shows, including RONDUIT TOURNEE and TED SHOW in the Netherlands, THE HANK PLANTE SHOW in Houston, Texas, the OBJECTION TV Show broadcast by TBS in Tokyo, Japan, and a special TV program dedicated to him, NAIUL BINE TEMPERAT, produced by the late Tudor Vornicu and Ileana Vlad, and directed by Andrei Bradeanu, among many other television appearances.
He has collaborated with several esteemed musicians, both domestically and abroad, including Toni Iordache, Ion Dragoi, Marin Chiser, Johnny Raducanu, Ramon Tavernier, Richard Oschanitzky, Kurt Hauenstein (Supermax), Rick van der Linden (Ekseption), as well as Sergiu Comissiona and Oscar-winning composer Luis Bacalov. His discography includes 21 albums, with the first, "Variations," released in 1978, noted as a world premiere for its innovative combination of nai and synthesizer, marking a first in music history.
Catalin has made significant contributions to the jazz scene, performing with his band at the International Jazz Festival in Prague in 1984 alongside notable names such as Buddy Rich, Cecil Taylor, Arturo Sandoval, and Didier Lockwood. In 1985, he embarked on a six-month tour in the United States, during which he taught nai at various summer camps at American universities and performed a concert with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergiu Comissiona, who described him as "a musician of great versatility." This concert was hailed by the music press as "the sensation of the entire season."
In 1990, Catalin was invited to Japan for the third time, where he collaborated with companies like Korg and Yamaha. He conducted special sampling sessions of the nai with Korg and created the first three-dimensional audio recording for Yamaha, which was showcased at the Tokyo Autumn Fair that same year. Between 1991 and 1995, he served as a composer at numerous national and international festivals and competitions.
In the Meridian newspaper, renowned musicologist Viorel Cosma remarked on one of his albums, stating, "Catalin Tarcolea did not settle for melodic citation; he sought to lend each carol a unique harmonic garment and a complex, expansive, polyphonic form, orchestrated with rare coloristic fantasy, the unique timbral palette of the synthesizer, intertwined with the enveloping voice of the nai, endowing each piece with an unexpected charm."
In 1996, Tarcolea composed music for two TV series aired on RTL, provided music for John Arden's play "The Sergeant Musgrave's Dance," produced by the Teatrul Mic under the direction of the late Leopoldina Bălănuță, released a second edition of the album "Colinde," and contributed to the soundtrack for the film "La Tregua-Armistițiul," directed by renowned filmmaker Francesco Rosi, featuring John Turturro in the lead role. Catalin interpreted the main musical themes for the film, composed by Oscar-winning composer Luis Bacalov.
Since 1998, Catalin Tarcolea has been actively involved in composition and piano performance, collaborating with prominent producers such as Peter Hauke, known for launching and producing groups like NUKLEUS, SCORPIONS, and TANGERINE DREAM; Jack Lancaster, who has produced music with artists like Gary Moore, Phil Collins, and Hans Zimmer; and Rob & Ferdi Bolland, known for their work with STATUS QUO and FALCO. Through these collaborations, Catalin has enriched his musical experience not only as a performer but also as a music producer, evident in the albums he has released since 1979.
In 1999, he composed and produced the album "Eu Sunt Mona" for the fourteen-year-old singer Simona Nae, and in the same year, he received the Union of Composers Award in the jazz category. He has been a member of the Union of Composers since 1990 and is also a member of the Union of Artists and Film Makers (UARF).
