Loredana Apetrei was born in Romania in 1993 and developed an early interest in classical music. She began violin lessons at the age of seven and later attended the Octav Băncilă National Art High School in Iași, where she also took up the viola. Her dedication and talent led her to win several solo and chamber music prizes at national and international competitions during her school years. In 2012, she began her studies at the University of Arts Iași with Prof. Constantin Stanciu (Voces Quartet). She made her solo debut in 2013 with the Brașov Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto.

Loredana received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Romania and, in 2021, completed a second Master’s degree with Prof. Wolfgang Klos and Prof. Ulrich Schönauer at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 2023, she also completed a postgraduate chamber music program at the same institution with Prof. Johannes Meissl. She has participated in viola masterclasses with Dimitri Mattu, Morten Carlsen, Gilad Karni, Răzvan Popovici, and Maria Shetty.

She was a member of the Romanian Youth Orchestra and the Vienna Jeunesse Orchestra, and has performed in prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin and Vienna, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix-en-Provence, BOZAR Brussels, and the Vienna Musikverein. During her studies in Romania, Loredana held temporary contracts with the Philharmonic and Opera of Iași. Currently, she plays on a project basis with professional orchestras, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, she has performed with Boris Brovtsyn, Liviu Prunaru, Marianne Piketty, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Reinhard Latzko, Alvaro Pierri, Marin Cazacu, Anna Gutowska, and Vida Vujic.

In 2018, Loredana joined the Selini Quartet. The ensemble has performed in major Viennese concert venues such as the Musikverein, the Konzerthaus, the Schubert House, the Beethoven Museum, the Beethoven House Baden, MuTh, ORF RadioKulturhaus, the Burgtheater, and the Hofburg. Abroad, the quartet has appeared in Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.

The Selini Quartet has won several prizes, including the Szymanowski International Music Competition (Poland, 2018), the Artis Quartet Prize at the ISA Competition (Austria), the Ysaye International Music Competition (Belgium, 2021), the Prague Spring International Music Competition (Czech Republic, 2021), and the mdw great talent award (Austria, 2021). They were also selected by a commission of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to represent the Austrian music scene worldwide as part of the NASOM – New Austrian Sound of Music program for the 2020–2023 seasons.

The quartet has been inspired by outstanding musicians such as Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet), Evgenia Epstein (Aviv Quartet), Peter Schuhmayer (Artis Quartet), Patrick Juedt, David Alberman (Arditti Quartet), András Keller (Keller Quartet), Pavel Vernikov, Leonard Roczek (Minetti Quartet), the Diotima Quartet, Vida Vujic, among others. In 2023, Loredana was awarded the StartStipendium by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts.

In 2024, she became a member of the Platypus Ensemble, offering her the opportunity to explore contemporary music together with her colleagues. Since 2022, Loredana has also been teaching viola at the Amadeus International School while continuing her chamber music activities with various ensembles.