SERGIU CARSTEA was born in 1958, in the present-day Republic of Moldova. He graduated from the trumpet class at the Music School „Eugen Coca” in Chisinau, Moldova, USSR in 1976 and then the Faculty of Musical Interpretation on the State Institute of Arts Gavriil Muzicescu in Chisinau in 1981. In 1988-1989 he completed postgraduate studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, and in 2016 he completed a PhD degree at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts in Chisinau, Moldova.

In the 1992-1993 period he worked as the artistic director of the Moldovan State Philharmonic, from 1981 to 1997 he was a member and principal trumpet of the State Philharmonic in Chisinau, and in the 1997-2001 period he worked as principal trumpet of the State Philharmonic „Banat” in Timisoara, Romania. Since 2001 he has been a trumpet party leader in the Romanian National Opera in Timisoara. He has performed as a soloist in many European and Asian countries.

Apart from artistic activity, Sergiu is also involved in pedagogy. As a trumpet teacher he has worked at the State Conservatory Gavriil Muzicescu in Chisinau, Moldova. Since 2000 he has been working as an academic teacher at the Faculty of Music, University of West in Timisoara and since 2014 at the National University of Music in Bucharest. He is the author of many publications regarding the problems of interpretation of music for trumpet and of the „Method of Modern technical studies for trumpet”. He is often invited to conduct masterclasses at universities in many European countries, Asia and North Africa.

He is founder and president of the Romanian Brass Society Association, founder and artistic director of the International Brass Competition in Timisoara as well as a member of the jury at various international competitions for brass and wind instruments.