Moldovan conductor, violin player passes away

Chisinau, 18 March /MOLDPRES/ - A conductor, violin player, founder of the Mugurel folk music orchestra, Merited Artist of Moldova Valeriu Negruta, who lived in France, has passed away at the age of 80 years.    

Contacted by MOLDPRES, composer Constantin Rusnac said that the artist had died in Paris on 17 March. ‘’A precocious talent, endowed with excellent musical capacities, he followed the way of his older brother, Oleg Negruta, and studied the violin at the famous Stolearsky music school from Odessa,’’ Rusnac noted.   

Valeriu Negruta was born in Odessa on 16 May 1940. He studied at the Chisinau-based Gavriil Muzicescu Conservatoire during 1958-1963. In 1964-65 and in 1973, he was violin player at the studio orchestra of the radio and television from Chisinau. Negruta was artistic director and conductor of the Mugurel folk music ensemble (1965-1970, 1981-1985), violinist at the Flueras folk music orchestra of the Serghei Lunchevici National Philharmonic from Chisinau (1970-1975), conductor of the Ciocirlia folk music orchestra from the Trade Unions Place (1975-1981) and violin player at the String Quartet of the radio and television from Chisinau (1986-1987), teacher at the Alexei Starcea Arts School (1987-1991).  

In 1974, Valeriu Negruta was awarded the honorific title of Merited Artist of Moldova. In 1991, he settled in Paris, where he worked as violinist.