Romanian-born violinist Ruxandra Simionescu-Marquardt attended the ‘George Enescu’ School of Music and Conservatory of Music in Bucharest, where she was profoundly influenced by professors Stefan Gheorghiu and Modest Iftinchi. As a young musician, she won several prizes and medals in international competitions such as “Concertino” Prague, Henri Wieniawski, Tibor Varga, All-Romania Prize (twice) and participated in the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. In 1986, she left Communist Romania to participate in the Indianapolis Violin Competition, defecting to the U.S. immediately afterward. She continued her studies at Indiana University with Joseph Gingold and at Syracuse University, where she taught for eight years. In 1988, she became the youngest Associate Concertmaster in the U.S., a position she held for 13 years. She was also Principal Second Violin and Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida and appeared as guest Concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the New Mexico Philharmonic. She has played under many noted conductors, including Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Fabio Mechetti, James DePriest, Raymond Leppard, and Andrew Litton. Ms. Simionescu-Marquardt’s solo performances include appearances with the Bucharest Philharmonic, the Bucharest Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Gainesville Chamber Orchestra, Boston Virtuosi, Coastal Symphony of Georgia and the San Marco Chamber Society.

As a chamber musician, she has participated in the Bayreuth Festival, Skaneateles Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and the Grand Tetons Festival. Ms. Simionescu-Marquardt is a dedicated and highly prized violin teacher. She has maintained successful studios for the last 25 years and has prepared several young musicians for competitions and noted conservatories around the country. She is also highly sought after as a coach and clinician for musicians preparing for auditions in professional and youth orchestras. In 2012, she moved to the beautiful state of New Mexico and lives in Rio Rancho with her husband, Paul Marquardt, a composer and pianist. They appear frequently as musical partners in numerous duo recitals and chamber music concerts.