Marius Preda

Marius Preda is considered to be one of the most original, prolific and influential musicians in recent music history.

Preda has shared the stage with many renowned artists in the world of music: Greats like: Arturo Sandoval, Gheorghe Zamfir, Vladimir Cosma and Didier Lockwood.

Marius Preda was born in Bucharest (1977) into a family of musicians. At the age of four, Marius received a special gift from his grandmother: a big, wooden trapezoidal box on 4 legs with metal strings stretched across its top: a Cimbalom.

Ever since, Preda fell in love with the instrument and dedicated all his time practicing and playing the exotic instrument. Because of his unique and charismatic playing, Preda has become the first cimbalom player in the history who has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls, festivals and jazz clubs in the world.

To name a few

  • Palais Des Congres – Paris

  • Grand Rex – Paris

  • Arena – Genève

  • Blue Note – New York

  • Ronnie Scott’s – London

  • Blue Note – Milan

  • Proms Festival – Prague

  • Théâtre du Châtelet – Paris

In 1993, at the age of 16, Preda was invited for a concert tour in the Netherlands, starring as a special guest in the ensemble of the great panflute-player Nicolae Pirvu.

Shortly after, Preda decided to study jazz and vibraphone at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Preda graduated cum-laude and was given the nick-name “The Tiger of the Conservatory” a hommage to his virtuosic and energetic musical capabilities.

With all the skills that Preda accumulated over the years, Preda started to invent a new way of playing the cimbalom, a style only known and unique to him and presenting the cimbalom at the highest level possible.

In the past two decades, Preda has performed and contributed to: Arturo Sandoval, Mike Stern, Vladimir Cosma, Rosenberg Trio, Didier Lockwood, Philip Catherine, Gheorghe Zamfir (Andreas Oberg “Six Strings Evolution” by Resonance Records - feat: Marius Preda, Decebal Badila, Antal Steixner, John Patitucci, Lewis Nash and Dave Kikoski) an Archibald Dance (no.4 on the album), Dennis Chambers, Tom Kennedy, Teymur Phell, Anne Ducros, Amikam Kimelman, Fifi Chayeb, Claude Salmieri, Rony Holan, Owen Hart Jr. Jens Loh, Leonid Ptashka, Adrian Cicero, Claus Reichstaller, Arie Volinez, Peter Weniger, Joris Teepe, Wolfert Bredorede, Adi Yeshaya, Robin Koerts, Taco Gorter, Paradox Jazz Orchestra, etc.