Mara Pop

Mara Dana Florentina Pop graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Musical Interpretation, Piano specialization, in 2005, at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy, under the guidance of Prof. Univ. Dr. Ninuca Oșanu Pop. She continued her specialization within the Master’s program in Musical Art, again with the same professor, focusing her research on the study of contemporary Romanian music.

Her research activity is complemented by a concert career developed through various projects, including Analytical and Creative Investments in the genres of ballet and chamber symphony within contemporary national and universal composition. She has also participated in different editions of festivals such as the Cluj Musical Autumn, Cluj Modern, and the Days of Japanese Culture, with works featuring absolute first performances by Cluj-based composers. She currently continues her collaboration with Cluj composers in various chamber music ensembles.

Her teaching activity began in 2005 as a full-time piano professor at the Sigismund Toduță Music College in Cluj-Napoca. This has developed into an extensive record of preparing young pianists—winners of national Olympiads and national and international competitions—and into numerous graduates who have pursued teaching careers in the same field.

From 2023 to the present, she has held the position of Head of the Piano and Organ Department at the same institution. Her responsibilities also include organizing various musical events, such as partnerships with the Gheorghe Dima National Music Academy, the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca, initiating and organizing the Transilvania Musical Interpretation Competition, and running masterclasses with professors from both Romania and abroad. Additionally, since 2021, she has been an associate faculty member at the Gheorghe Dima National Music Academy within the Department of Specialized Studies with a Psycho-Pedagogical Profile, where she coordinates mentoring activities between the two institutions for the piano specialization.

Starting in 2026, she also holds the position of Director of the Sigismund Toduță Music College in Cluj-Napoca.