Radu Rățoi

Moldovan accordionist Radu Rățoi is celebrated for his “originality, versatility, and virtuosity” across classical and contemporary repertoires. A landmark achievement in his career came in 2024 when he won the YCA “Susan Wadsworth” International Auditions in New York. His professional excellence has been further recognized with the Léonie Sonning Music Prize- Talent Prize in Denmark and the Master in Arts award presented by the President of Moldova. Rățoi’s competitive record is unparalleled; between 2018 and 2020, he won the world’s six most prestigious accordion competitions, including the Coupe Mondiale, Klingenthal, and Trophy Mondiale. Notably, he was the first to win these titles in both the Classical and Virtuoso categories. Since 2024, he has served as a soloist with the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova. Dedicated to expanding the accordion’s repertoire, he performs his own transcriptions of works by J.S. Bach, Liszt, and Scarlatti. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Rățoi performs globally, aiming to demonstrate the “unlimited possibilities” of his instrument. He plays a Pigini Nòva-RR specially built and modified for him.