About
Biography | Conductor| Composer | Pianist |
Rucsandra Popescu is a composer, choir conductor and pianist who lives in Bremen, but completed her first music education in her home town Bucharest, Romania.
Born into a family of musicians, her father and mother being instrumentalists and also her brother, a well known jazz drummer Vlad Popescu, her godfather the composer Horia Moculescu, Rucsandra Popescu approached the world of sounds at the early age of 6, and started studying piano and music theory. The intense activity of her renowned family (teachers and instrumentalists of classical and jazz music) and her presence as child in many projects, concerts in Bucharest have influenced and shaped her future music carriere, by growing up in a deeply music environment.
She graduated from the Dinu Lipatti Music High School – Bucharest (main instrument - piano) and was ranked among the first three best students in her school year. She graduated as valedictorian from the Music University in Bucharest with three degrees: Composition, Academic Choir Conductor and Music pedagogy (piano instrumental). During her study she had a special scholarship for best academic results. She studied composition with Prof.Octavian Nemescu, Prof. Dan Dediu, piano with Prof.Oana Velcovici-Radulescu and choir conducting with Prof.Valentin Gruescu. She was awarded the prize for the best academic results by the Bucovinieni Sarghie Brothers' Foundation and the University of Bucharest.
During the study she received for one year a scholarship from the European Erasmus-Socrates student exchange program with Prof. Violeta Dinescu, at the "Carl von Ossietzky" University in Oldenburg.
In Germany she graduated from the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen with Master degree in Composition, Prof. Younghi Pagh-Paan. In the same year she was awarded the prize for the best academic results by the Internal Composition's Competition of Music Academy Bremen.
Later she graduated with 'Konzertexamen'(post-university degree), the highest degree in composition, as one of the last students of Prof. Younghi Pagh-Paan at the same Academy of Music in Bremen. In October 2012 she was awarded the Landesmusikrat Composition Prize Bremen.
She was awarded the first prize at the choir composition´s competition "Verleih uns Frieden", in memory of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 (Deutscher Chorverband e.V., promoted by the the Federal Government for Culture).
Since 2006 she is permanent member of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists. Between 2005 - 2009 she was a member of the GEDOK Artists’ Association (Künstlerinnenverband) in Bremen.
Between 2015 - 2018 she was lecturer and the conductor of the Jazzchoir of the University of Music and Theater Leipzig.
Between 2018 - 2020 she was music teacher and choir conductor at the St.Johannis School in Bremen. She created the Children Choir for the GALA - "200 Years Catholic school".
Infos: Gala St.Johannis Schule Bremen
Between 2008 - 2023 she created and was the conductor and musical teacher of the "J-Cappella" Choir of the former Jacobs University Bremen.
Between 2025 -2026 she was the conductor of the Madrigal Choir of the Muenster University, choir that existed only until 2026 as part of the Pedagogical Music Institute of the Münster University.
Since 2017 and currently she is lecturer in teaching choir conducting and is the conductor of the main classical Choir (Hochschulchor) and also Pop-choir (Popchor) of the University of Music Bremen (Hochschule für Künste Bremen).
Since 2025 she is teaching choir conducting at the "Carl von Ossietzky" University in Oldenburg and starting with fall semester 2026 works as permanent Lecturer in choir conducting at the same University.
She is active composer and conductor in many projects, coaching and offering workshops in conducting and vocal ensemble, writing original music, or arrangements for diverse groups, Ensemble (classical, modern, jazz, pop).
Rucsandra Popescu is a composer, choir conductor and pianist who lives in Bremen, but completed her first music education in her home town Bucharest, Romania.
Born into a family of musicians, her father and mother being instrumentalists and also her brother, a well known jazz drummer Vlad Popescu, her godfather the composer Horia Moculescu, Rucsandra Popescu approached the world of sounds at the early age of 6, and started studying piano and music theory. The intense activity of her renowned family (teachers and instrumentalists of classical and jazz music) and her presence as child in many projects, concerts in Bucharest have influenced and shaped her future music carriere, by growing up in a deeply music environment. She graduated from the Dinu Lipatti Music High School – Bucharest (main instrument - piano) and was ranked among the first three best students in her school year. She graduated as valedictorian from the Music University in Bucharest with three degrees: Composition, Academic Choir Conductor and Music pedagogy (piano instrumental). During her study she had a special scholarship for best academic results. She studied composition with Prof.Octavian Nemescu, Prof. Dan Dediu, piano with Prof.Oana Velcovici-Radulescu and choir conducting with Prof.Valentin Gruescu. She was awarded the prize for the best academic results by the Bucovinieni Sarghie Brothers' Foundation and the University of Bucharest.
During the study she received for one year a scholarship from the European Erasmus-Socrates student exchange program with Prof. Violeta Dinescu, at the "Carl von Ossietzky" University in Oldenburg.
In Germany she graduated from the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen with Master degree in Composition, Prof. Younghi Pagh-Paan. In the same year she was awarded the prize for the best academic results by the Internal Composition's Competition of Music Academy Bremen.
Later she graduated with 'Konzertexamen'(post-university degree), the highest degree in composition, as one of the last students of Prof. Younghi Pagh-Paan at the same Academy of Music in Bremen. In October 2012 she was awarded the Landesmusikrat Composition Prize Bremen.
She was awarded the first prize at the choir composition´s competition "Verleih uns Frieden", in memory of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 (Deutscher Chorverband e.V., promoted by the the Federal Government for Culture).
Since 2006 she is permanent member of the Romanian Association of Composers and Musicologists. Between 2005 - 2009 she was a member of the GEDOK Artists’ Association (Künstlerinnenverband) in Bremen.
Between 2015 - 2018 she was lecturer and the conductor of the Jazzchoir of the University of Music and Theater Leipzig.
Between 2018 - 2020 she was music teacher and choir conductor at the St.Johannis School in Bremen. She created the Children Choir for the GALA - "200 Years Catholic school".
Infos: Gala St.Johannis Schule Bremen
Between 2008 - 2023 she created and was the conductor and musical teacher of the "J-Cappella" Choir of the former Jacobs University Bremen.
Between 2025 -2026 she was the conductor of the Madrigal Choir of the Muenster University, choir that existed only until 2026 as part of the Pedagogical Music Institute of the Münster University.
Since 2017 and currently she is lecturer in teaching choir conducting and is the conductor of the main classical Choir (Hochschulchor) and also Pop-choir (Popchor) of the University of Music Bremen (Hochschule für Künste Bremen).
Since 2025 she is teaching choir conducting at the "Carl von Ossietzky" University in Oldenburg and starting with fall semester 2026 works as permanent Lecturer in choir conducting at the same University.
She is active composer and conductor in many projects, coaching and offering workshops in conducting and vocal ensemble, writing original music, or arrangements for diverse groups, Ensemble (classical, modern, jazz, pop).