George Nicolescu

Who is George Nicolescu?

George Nicolescu is a blind Romanian musician.

Born in Ploieşti, Nicolescu has four sisters. He attended the Bucharest School for Amblyopia Patients, middle school and high school and the School for the Blind in Cluj. Self-taught, he made his singing debut in Cluj and in 1970 won first prize at the Tinereţe pe portativ festival. A few years later, the composer George Grigoriu began to influence him, and the two began collaborating. In 1973, his first hit, "Eternitate", was released, and the following year came four hits released on a 45, under Grigoriu's name.

In 1972 he gained admission to the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Romance Languages, French-Romanian section. He graduated in 1976 and the following April began teaching French at the School for the Blind in Buzău, where he remained until 1985. That year, he was hired as a vocal soloist at the Buzău Youth House. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, he was engaged for several months as a soloist with the ensemble "Optimiştii", a troupe of blind performers.

He retired in 1992, taking part in various shows and singing in restaurants in order to earn a living.