Life & Work with Florina Petrescu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Florina Petrescu.  

Hi Florina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Sometimes I find it hard to talk about myself. For everybody reading this: I share from my heart to your heart. Without boundaries or filters. I am who I am. 

I grew up in an apartment building in Bucharest, Romania. A small 700 square feet apartment on the 10th floor. (The highest floor of the building – Not a penthouse!!) It was not always easy, but my parents provided for me, and I was a happy kid. Sometimes, I would imagine myself in a castle, in a tower, being the queen of the surroundings, trees, and other buildings. I had lots of imagination as I grew up without any siblings.

I have been playing the violin since I was 8 years old. I got my Master’s in Violin Performance, I got hired full time in an orchestra in Sibiu, Romania and I toured with opera orchestras all over Europe. 

I moved to Michigan, USA in 2014.

When I moved to the US, I had to start my career from scratch. Nobody knew me and I knew nobody. It was hard enough not knowing the language very well, I had to prove myself again. I must say that I met some great people along the way who helped me understand more about US life (which is very different from Europe) The first steps were very random: from going to music stores, to going to restaurants and libraries, letting them know who I was and what I do. I got a position at a local music studio. I was teaching violin lessons. I started auditioning for orchestras and after many failures, I got the Principal Second Violin position with Lansing Symphony Orchestra. What a joy that day was! It felt like I was born again. Meanwhile, I looked for other ways to support myself. I started to play at all kinds of events, from birthdays to weddings and corporate events. 

There are so many things to say about this journey and how I made it where I am today…. maybe in another article…

Now, I am Principal Second Violin with Lansing Symphony, sometimes acting as a concertmaster and soloist, I am a substitute musician with Detroit Opera, I have my own teaching studio (in person and online), and I wrote 2 children’s books available on Amazon, I have a 5-star rating on Gig Salad (I played hundreds of events here in the US), I collaborate with other Symphonies like Flint Symphony, Saginaw Symphony, International Symphony Orchestra, and others. I am also in the process of opening the virtual gates of an online violin academy. I also started a YouTube channel (violin witched).

All of this was not easy to build. It was full of happy moments, tears, sorrow, pain, illness, joy, love, and anxiety. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh… Surprise question. Yes. Lots of struggles. I came here in 2014 and learning how to communicate in English was a struggle. Another thing is that the USA is so different from Europe. I could not understand how it works. It took me a while to get it. Immigrant life is not easy, but I found many wonderful people along the way, and I am grateful for that. My career was at zero when I arrived. Nobody knew me. So, I had to work to prove myself all over again. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional violinist. (Classically trained musician, part-time rocker – I released 2 albums with two Romanian rock bands, I played lots of festivals, won many prizes) I am a member of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the International Symphony Orchestra, I also play with the Detroit Opera. 

I love playing at private events and I love teaching (I teach all ages and levels).

I wrote two children’s books about music. They are available on Amazon (“Billy the Frog” and “The Legend of the Musical Notes”).

I also have a YouTube channel (pretty neglected actually… as I haven’t posted there in a while).

I am in the process of building my Online Violin Academy. 

I am driving all over to bring beautiful violin music to people’s hearts. 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Anybody can hire me on my website either for events or violin lessons. 

www.florysmusic.com is my website 

flory@florysmusic.com – email address 

Also, I am always open to new musical projects. 

You can support me by allowing me to bring music into your lives. We can’t live without music and music “saved” me many times… 

Pricing:

• $290 – Performance -for the first hour (+ travel)
• $150 -Performance -each additional hour
• $65 – 1 hour or teaching (in person or online) $40 – 30 min, $50 – 45 min
• Books: $12.99 for a paperback, $3.99 for a kindle

Contact Info:

• Website: www.florysmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violinwitched/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Florysmusic
• Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZDrpQEEndSl3UwId3RNVeg
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/florinapetrescu