RESOUNDING ECHOES: From August 2022, Robert McCarney's regular series features little-known twentieth century classical composers.
Moldovan accordionist and conductor Mihai Amihălăchioaie was born in Molnița in Ukraine on 23 February 1961. He studied music at the Herța Music School, Ștefan Neaga Music College and at what is now the Academia de Muzică, Teatru și Arte Plastice - piano, accordion and folk orchestra conducting, later returning to study operatic and orchestral conducting. Later he worked with the Catalan conductor Antoni Ros-Marbà in Barcelona, improving his conducting technique considerably.
He began his career playing accordion and conducting the Busuioc Moldovenesc Ensemble. Later he was conductor of the National Philharmonic of Moldova, the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova, the Chișinău Radio-TV Symphony Orchestra and the Chișinău National Opera and Ballet Theatre. He also worked with the Romanian group Provincialii. He toured in other countries, including Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and the UK.
From 2021 until his death from liver cancer on 12 February 2024, aged sixty-two, he conducted the Municipal Chamber Orchestra Camerata Chișinău.