Hilda Jerea (17 March 1916 – 14 May 1980) was a Romanian-Jewish pianist, conductor, and composer. [1] [2] Born in Iaşi, she began her education at the Conservatory of Music in Iaşi and finished it in Bucharest where her teachers were Mihail Jora, Florica Musicescu and Dimitrie Cuclin. [3] After graduation she pursued further studies in Paris and Budapest. [4] She played the piano in concertos or chamber ensembles from 1936. Her best-known composition is the oratorio Under the Wake-Up Sun ( Romanian: Sub soarele deşteptării) from 1951. [5] She was distinguished with the State Prize of Romania and the Order of Labour.
In 1962, she founded and conducted the Musica Nova Chamber Orchestra. [4] She died in Bucharest.