Born in Bucharest, Romania, to a family of musicians, Cristian Sandrin started his musical training with Marina Dragomirescu and Cristian Dumitrescu at Colegiul National de Arte “Dinu Lipatti.” 

He had his solo debut at the famous Romanian Atheneum Hall in 2006. He has successfully completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with First Class Honours for Advanced Diploma, Master in Music and Bachelor of Music. For his MMus final recital, he obtained a DipRAM institutional award for an outstanding performance. In the past year, he has held scholarships from the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, the Tillet Trust, Help Musicians UK, and the Harold Craxton Memorial Trust. He was also a Piano Fellow of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Martin Musical Scholarship Fund scheme.

Cristian Sandrin is a very active performer, having had his solo debut at the Wigmore Hall in September 2017. Currently a Countess of Munster Recital Scheme artist, Cristian is touring the UK, performing solo recitals and engagement with orchestras in London, Matlock, Carlisle, Sunderland, Whitley, Petersfield, Bournemouth, Leatherhead, Riverbarn House, and many others. Since 2014, Cristian has also been experimenting with conducting small ensembles from the keyboard, mostly Mozart’s Piano Concertos.

Other UK engagements included recitals at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Queen Elisabeth Hall, St. James Piccadilly, Brighton, Oxford, Chipping Campden, and Scotland. In the past season, Cristian has been invited to hold solo recitals in festivals in the Netherlands and Germany. In Romania, Cristian Sandrin is a frequent guest artist of the Bacau National Philharmonic, Sibiu National Philharmonic, Ramnicu-Valcea National Philharmonic, and the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, performing under the baton of Ovidiu Balan, Mark Csikes, and Florin Totan. International engagements include performances at Salle Cortot in Paris, Marstall Platz in Berlin, Salla Manuel de Falla in Madrid, Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, “La Fenice” Theatre in Venice, “Bulgaria Hall” in Sophia, and the Polish National Philharmonic Hall during the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin.

He is a laurate of many international and local competitions, such as First Prize of the Citta di Olleggio Piano Competition (2019), Third Prize of the Councours Musical de Versailles (2019), Second Prize of the Windsor International Piano Competition (2018), Third Prize of the Sheepdrove Piano Competition (2018), runner-up of the Automobile Club de France IPC (2011), a laureate of the Animato Competition in Paris (2012), and First Prize of the Yurii Boukoff International Piano Competition (2009). He has been a semifinalist of the Vendome Prize, being invited in the Verbier Festival in 2019. Cristian is a recent holder of the Harold Craxton Chamber Music prize at the Royal Academy of Music, being also a past recipient of the William Sterndale Bennett Prize. 

Competitor, Semifinalist, Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition
(Best Performance of Bach): Second Triennial Olga Kern International Piano Competition. October 27–November 3, 2019. Albuquerque, New Mexico.