"Delicate, yet touching, accuracy, wit and a lot of perfection down to the last detail" 
Daniel Wagner, Chopin-Blätter (2023)

Born in December 1996 in Romania, Mihaela Manea started playing the piano at the age of 6.

She is currently studying with Prof. Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, after finishing both her Bachelor and Masters studies with distinction at the same university with Prof. Stefan Arnold. In addition, she also studied with Prof. Markus Schirmer at the Kunstuniversität Graz.  

Mihaela was scholar of “Martin and Adriana Sternin” Foundation in Bucharest from 2011 until 2021, she was scholar of the Beethoven Society and Martha Sobotka-Janeczek Foundation in Vienna and in 2023 was awarded the performance scholarship of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She received musical impulses and guidance from pianists such as Angela Hewitt, Robert Levin, Matti Raekallio, Filippo Gamba, Rolf-Dieter Arens, Heinz Medjimorec, Stefan Mendl, Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch, Dana Borsan, Valentin Gheorghiu, Michail Markov.  

She was awarded the 3rd Prize of Premio Rovere d'Oro International Competition in 2024,  1st absolute prize of International Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition in 2023, 2nd prize of Siena International Piano Competition (2022),  Pianists’Award (1st prize) at the International Summer Academy in Reichenau, Austria (2021), Benjamin Prize of the Wolfgang Boesch Foundation in 2020 (for outstanding achievements in her years of studies at the University of Music in Vienna), International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in Enschede, Netherlands (3rd Prize und Press Prize) Transylvanian International Piano Competiton (Dinu Lipatti Prize). In November 2018 she made her debut in Gläserner Saal of Musikverein Vienna, opening the TastenLauf Zyklus dedicated to young pianists with outstanding performances.

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She performs numerous recitals in concert Halls such as Konzerthaus Vienna (Mozart Hall), Steinwayhaus Vienna, MuTh Vienna, Romanian Athenaeum, Gesellschaft für Musiktheater Vienna, Haus der Kunst Baden- Austria, Jewish Cultural Center in Bucharest, Hungarian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, among other important venues in Italy, Germany, France and Holland. Mihaela started performing as a soloist with orchestra at the age of 10, afterwards becoming regular guest of various romanian orchestras: George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Iasi Philharmonic Orchestra, Targu-Mures Philharmonic Orchestra (among others) under the baton of conductors: Ilarion Ionescu-Galati, Horia Andreescu, Tiberiu Soare, Alain Paris, YuAn Chang, Alexander Walker, Mark Kadin, Robert Gutter. She is also an active chamber musician, performing regularly in ensembles with musicians such as Christian Altenburger, Rainhard Latzko, Rudolf Leopold, among others. 

In 2024 Mihaela was appointed a teaching position at the Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory in Graz, previously joining the piano department in 2023.