Mihai Amihalachioaie (23 February 1961 – 11 February 2024) was a Moldovan accordionist and conductor.

Early life and education

Amihalachioaie was born on 23 February 1961, in

Molnytsia Molnytsia (; ) is a commune (selsoviet) in Chernivtsi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine. It is composed of a single village, Molnytsia, and belongs to Hertsa urban hromada, one of the hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of mun ...

. He started his musical education at

Hertsa Hertsa or Hertza is a city located in Chernivtsi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine and has a population of The city is located close to the border with Romania, southeast of Chernivtsi and north of Dorohoi. Until 2020, it was t ...

Music School and completed it at the Ștefan Neaga College of Music, located in Chișinău. He then studied piano, accordion and folk orchestra conducting at the Gavriil Musicescu State Conservatory (present-day ), also in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

, graduating in 1985. In 1997, he graduated from a second faculty at the same university, this time in conducting symphonic and opera music.

Career

In 1985, he started his career as an accordionist and the folk music conductor of the Busuioc Moldovenesc Ensemble, a band disbanded in 2001 due to financial issues, but returned in November 2011. In 1998, he started working as a conductor at the , the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova, and the Chisinau Radio-TV Symphony Orchestra, places he worked at until his death. He was also an employee of the

Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre The Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre () in Chişinău, Moldova, is one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in Eastern Europe. It is housed in a building on the Boulevard Stefan the Great, one of the main roads in Chişinău. I ...

. He also collaborated with the Romanian group Provincialii. Between 2001 and 2002, he worked with

Antoni Ros-Marbà Antoni Ros-Marbà (; born 1937 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat) is a Spanish people, Spanish conducting, conductor and composer from Catalonia. He began his musical education at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona. He studied conducting ...

, with whom he improved his mastery greatly.

Maria Iliuț Maria Iliuț (born 23 February 1955) is a Moldovan singer of muzică populară. Early life and education As a child, Iliuț used to go grazing with cattle and sheep. She dreamed of becoming a dancer. She entered the dance department of the C ...

, the popular music singer, was among those with whom he collaborated. Amihalachioaie performed artistic tours in many countries, including Romania, Spain, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. He held his last concert in Vienna. In 2001, he was awarded the "Master of Art of Moldova" (See also: ) honorary title, and from 2021 until his death, he was the leader and conductor of the Municipal Chamber Orchestra Camerata Chisinau, an orchestra created in 2000 which gave its first concert in 2021.

Illness and death

In 2023, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. In July 2023, Amihalachioaie went to Istanbul, where he underwent a liver transplant operation a month later in August. The donor was his son Petru. Amihalachioaie died on the night of 11 February 2024, at the age of 62. A minute of silence was held for him on 13 February. He was buried at

Chișinău Central Cemetery The Chișinău Central Cemetery () is a cemetery located in the Sectorul Centru of Chișinău, Moldova, in the "triangle" of Alexei Mateevici, Vasile Alecsandri and Pantelimon Halippa. Founded in 1811, it is the resting place of many prominent p ...

on 14 February 2024, after a funeral held at the .

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amihalachioaie, Mihai 1961 births 2024 deaths Moldovan conductors (music) 20th-century accordionists Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic people Entertainers from Chernivtsi Oblast 21st-century accordionists Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Moldova 20th-century conductors (music) 21st-century conductors (music) People from Molnytsia Burials at Chișinău Central Cemetery Soviet musicians Moldovan accordionists