Music Box 3: Duo Sylvania

Music Box Series

The Music Box series offers an intimate chamber music experience unlike any other in Ocala. Set in the Reilly Arts Center’s Midgett Black Box Theatre, audiences sit just feet from the musicians, creating a rare sense of connection and immediacy. Featuring Ocala Symphony musicians and special guests, each concert pairs exceptional performance with engaging insight—inviting listeners inside the music. Music Box celebrates collaboration, curiosity, and the joy of live music shared up close.

Music Box 3: Duo Sylvania 

Duo Sylvania—featuring Ocala Symphony Principal Second Violinist Tania Moldovan and guitarist Silviu Ciulei—presents a richly expressive program that spans centuries and cultures. From Bach and Paganini to Piazzolla, Bartók, and Romanian folk traditions, this concert explores the vibrant dialogue between violin and guitar. Intimate, colorful, and deeply engaging, Duo Sylvania brings chamber music’s conversational spirit vividly to life.

Tania Moldovan Bio

Romanian-born violinist Dr. Tania Moldovan began her musical journey at age six, early on earning recognition in prestigious national competitions and touring internationally across France, Germany, and Greece. She relocated to the United States on a Full International Scholarship at Bowling Green State University, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance under Professor Vasile Beluska, followed by a Doctorate in Music from Florida State University in 2015 while serving as a Teaching Assistant to Professor Eliot Chapo and Dr. Ben Sung.

An active orchestral and chamber musician, Dr. Moldovan regularly performs with prominent ensembles including the Charleston Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, and Jacksonville Symphony. In 2013, she co-founded Duo Silvania with her husband, guitarist Dr. Silviu Ciulei, bringing dynamic, modern arrangements to audiences worldwide. Dedicated to community engagement, she also co-founded Chroma, a Gainesville-based chamber ensemble that brings classical music into non-traditional spaces, and teaches privately through Paynes Prairie Music Lessons, a studio she established in Micanopy, Florida.

Dr. Silviu Ciulei Bio

LATIN GRAMMY® Award Winning Album Artist, Dr. Silviu Octavian Ciulei, was born in Constanta, Romania. He began his musical studies at the National Conservatory at age six. In 2004, Silviu came to the US and was awarded a Full International Scholarship in Guitar Performance at Middle Tennessee State University where he studied with Dr. William Yelverton and received his Bachelor of Music degree. Silviu has been a top prizewinner in some of the world’s most prestigious competitions including Guitar Foundation of America’s International Concert Artist Competition, Schadt String Competition, and Parkening International Guitar Competition in Malibu, CA.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine hails “…guitarist Silviu Ciulei brings extraordinary touch to both classical and flamenco repertoire.” Silviu is also an acclaimed flamenco guitarist. He has traveled to study flamenco in Andalucia, Spain. He holds a Master and Doctorate in Music Performance from Florida State University where he studied with renowned professor Bruce Holzman. Silviu speaks five languages fluently, is chief editor for Guitar Magazine Online, and is a flamenco singer/lead guitarist with the GLOBAL MUSIC AWARD® Winning world music touring act, the Maharajah Flamenco Trio. Dr. Ciulei is currently Director of Guitar Studies at the University of Florida.