About
Nico Gutu does not conceive the accordion in terms of opposites, but as an open field of possibilities. He is an artist who seamlessly combines virtuosity, improvisation, and conceptual thinking.
His enthusiasm for music was sparked at an early age by his grandfather’s accordion. After initial successes, Nico Gutu was admitted to the Moldovan Music College, where he studied both accordion and conducting. At the same time, his growing interest in classical music led him to Weimar, where he continued his accordion studies.
Early on, Nico sought to move beyond the boundaries of traditional repertoire. Supported by a scholarship, he continued his studies in France and Italy, deepened his improvisational practice, and developed the stylistic openness that characterizes his playing today. After completing his studies successfully, he took a nationally significant step in 2019: he became the only accordionist to be admitted to the Jazz and Improvised Music program at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media.
Nico Gutu quickly attracted international attention on major stages. He is a multiple prizewinner at international competitions, including First Prize at the German Accordion Music Prize and the DAAD Prize in 2018. He has received particular acclaim as a soloist with the Orchestra della Calabria, at the Heidelberg Spring Festival and the Beethovenfest, in solo performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, and through numerous concerts in over 20 countries worldwide. He shares his expertise with younger generations through masterclasses, workshops, and his work as a juror at international competitions.
As an accordionist, Nico has collaborated with outstanding musical personalities such as Sharon Kam, Corinna Eikmeier, and Daniel Garcia. Equally important to his artistic work are interdisciplinary collaborations, including projects with the Canadian Théâtre à Tempo and the Theater of the Federal City of Bonn, as well as collaborations with musicians from major orchestras such as the WDR and NDR Radio Philharmonic.
Nico Gutu understands himself not only as an interpreter. He innovatively develops his own concert formats, in which he also acts as dramaturge and director. His performance Pace mia Terra premiered in 2025 at the OheFestival (near Munich), while the work Parcul was commissioned by the Banatul Philharmonic in Timișoara, Romania. These projects are always rooted in an expanded understanding of “classical music” and the “concert” format.
Nico questions traditional concert aesthetics and connects them with contemporary forms of performance, narration, and space.
Bellows or buttons, classical or contemporary
through his work between tradition and experiment, stage and concept, Nico Gutu asserts a distinctive position in today’s musical landscape, shaped by artistic openness, international experience, and the courage to rethink familiar formats.