Habits, speech, dress and skin color are still labels in Romania in 2023, unfortunately. This is how a story begins, and not just any story, but a successful one.
The Stănescu family from Piatra-Neamţ proudly presents their family, that of boilermakers, a profession handed down from their grandparents. Their daughters, Irina, Lorena and Isabela attended a school and that's how the change began.
Irina, the eldest girl, has two twins and is pregnant with the third child, participating in the household chores but also involved in the family business.
Lorena, participant in the Empire of Lions, with gypsy costumes, emancipated and ambitious just like her sisters.
The three sisters created gypsy outfits, but adapted to current times.
They were appreciated, and the parents proudly talk about their successes.
The parents' attention gradually turns to the youngest girl, Isabela, who dedicated herself to music, through a lot of work and with "God's help", as her mother tells. A special emotion surrounds her, when she talks about Isabela's success, the "Metropolitan Opera" scholarship from New York. Through the eyes of her parents, Isabela is the best example of success in life. The fact that she is of Roma ethnicity did not prevent her from learning, playing the piano, integrating into a mixed group, being accepted due to her intelligence, being persistent in everything she does.
"The girl with white skin and red hair" was a prize winner for years, winning numerous competitions, the only one with talent or better said "musical ear" from a family of boilermakers.
The parents supported her unconditionally, they understood that Isabela finds herself in school, she likes the artistic life and that this is a blessing from God.
"It was an exception", through work, says the mother with a voice full of emotion.
Isabela Stănescu is the kind of person that is very hard not to notice when she walks into a room. She is direct, a strong and warm voice at the same time, especially when she talks about her family.
He stood out since he was 3-4 years old when he started reading, then primary school, with up-to-date homework, perseverance, and the dream of playing the piano.
And because she loved music, she thought that the biggest dream of "white and pale skin" is to become a great singer.
Thanks to the scholarship received within the "Princess Maria" Foundation and the numerous competitions won, in time he managed to buy his own piano.
Then he signed up for the "Romanians have talent" contest. She was in the 12th grade, a talented girl, and appreciated by those around her. The change began, first of all the mentality, then other consistent decisions.
Coming from a relatively hostile environment in terms of "mentality", with decisions, choices and ideas different from family members, he managed to adapt on the fly and face any challenge.
He reached the finals of "Romanians have talent" and achieved a huge performance, taking second place.
She had a decision at the age of 14, when she decided that music was her life. The school was an escape, an environment that gave him the power to move on and be different from the rest of the community. The love story from the age of 14 exclusively helped her make the decisive decision to choose music.
Isabela was the exception of the family, choosing music, she developed other affinities, perseverance and work in time had its say. The school prepared her for life. Sometimes words cannot express the joy in Isabela's eyes when she talks about her teachers, especially her principal and the music pedagogy teacher.
Isabela Stănescu remains a memorable example, the outstanding opera singer, her hard work validated by her boundless ambition.
He crossed all borders, stereotypes and proved that through work you can realize any dream. Music brought her out of sadness.
This project is financed with the support of EEA Grants 2014 – 2021 within the RO-CULTURE Programme
