Ioana Dumitriu has been a member of the Phoenix Symphony for almost three decades. Born in Rumania, she was led to the violin by her adoptive parents and early music teachers, who were impressed by her remarkable memory for music and perfect pitch. Violin lessons began at age seven and eventually culminated in Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Violin Performance from the esteemed Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest. From 1973 to 1980 she toured Europe and Iron Curtain countries as a member of The George Enescu Philharmonic.
In 1979, her husband Dan, a violist, successfully defected to the United States from the brutal communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. Ioana and their young daughter Monica were able to join him the following year. In 1981 Dan and Ioana both won positions in The Phoenix Symphony, thus completing their dream to live in freedom and perform in a major American orchestra. They became citizens in 1986 and have raised three children, all of whom are pursuing medical careers.
Their daughter, Monica graduated Magna Cum Laude from ASU in Science/Biology and currently works as an RN in Monterrey California. Roger, a paramedic, is serving his second tour of duty with the US Army and is also pursuing a degree in medical nursing. Robert Daniel will graduate with Honors from North Canyon High School and will begin pharmacy school at Kaplan College in Phoenix this September.
Ioana's other interests include opera, Romanian folklore, and psychology. A great animal lover, her household menagerie includes her beloved dog LaLa, Noah, an ornery African Grey parrot, Wilson, the family lizard, and noisy cockatiels, Lucy and Ricky. She cooks many Romanian specialties and her baklava is valued as a treasured commodity at orchestra parties.