Bio

Composer and performer Cristina Spinei (pronounced spin-AY) has written for numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, but she is most known for her work with ballet, having been commissioned by Nashville Ballet, the New York Choreographic Institute, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many more. Growing up with dreams of becoming a ballerina, Spinei has channeled her love for dance into a devotion to musical movement, resulting in a style infused with “lyricism and rhythmic vitality.” (Nashville Scene)

Cristina has made her home in Nashville since 2014, and has since established herself as one of Music City’s most versatile, forward-thinking musicians: Nashville Arts dubbed her “gifted and engaging”, while The East Nashvillian praises her “adventuresome imagination.” Self-described as “minimalish,” Cristina anchors her musical ideas in melody, movement, and loops. Though she frequently adopts repeating patterns when writing, her music evokes more dance than trance, combining her love for opera’s beautifully crafted melodies and Latin music’s movement-heavy rhythms—two genres that work in tandem to inform Cristina’s vision. As she remarked once in an interview: 

“I always want there to be some kind of movement through the music in the audience, whether you’re tapping your foot, or nodding your head, or swaying — something.”

In this vein, Spinei’s most recent project is her album Ex Voto, a showcase of lilting melodies, driving rhythms, and lush harmonies. It is inspired by the Latin phrase ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made," which refers to an offering to a saint or divinity given in fulfillment of a vow in gratitude or devotion. A pianist from age 9, Cristina often performs her own music, most notably with the Nashville Ballet: she has appeared on stage with the company in 2017 and 2018, and 2020.

Her first album, Music for Dance (Toccata Classics), made its debut in 2016 contains work that blossomed from her collaboration with choreographers, and was characterized by the critic Dean Frey as having a “strong lyrical streak with an open, folk-like feeling and a dollop of pop.” In addition to her own records, Spinei’s music appears on the debut album of Trio Celeste, as well as on St. Michel Strings’ album Adagio, a record nominated for a Latin GRAMMY® Award.

Spinei holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with the Pulitzer Prize winning composer Christopher Rouse.

DISCOGRAPHY