Marilena Doinița Rotaru was born in Bucharest and studied with Tiberiu Olah at the Bucharest Conservatory in Bucharest from 1970-1975. In 1991, she continued her studies with Theo Loevendie in Amsterdam. In 1991 she also took a position as a professor at the National University of Music, and has served several times as a guest lecturer in Darmstadt, Germany and the Gaudeamus Composers Workshop in Amsterdam. Her music has been commissioned and performed internationally in Europe, Asia and the Americas. She is a member of the Romanian Composers Union.^[1]

In 1986, Rotaru published an article with Liviu Comes on the counterpoint techniques of Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina in Editura Muzicala.

Her music appears on labels such as Stradivarius, Nova Musica, and Maguelone Music.

• Seven prizes from the Romanian Composers Union (1981, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001)
• Prize of the Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences (1986)
• First Prize in the GEDOK Competition in Mannheim (1994, for Symphony II).

Besides orchestral and chamber works, Rotaru also composers choral and instructional pieces. Selected works include:

• Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, 1984
• Symphony I for large orchestra, 1985
• Métabole II for clarinet and orchestra, 2001
• Sonata for cello, 1978
• String Quartet No. 1, 1981
• Trias for mezzo-soprano, flute, piano, 1999
• The Crossroads of the Poppies for piano, 1980
• Sonatina for piano 1981^[2]

A number of recordings of Rotaru's music are available, including:

• Symphony II. Ludovic Bács/Radio Bucharest Orchestra (Editura Muzicala: EM 007)
• Over time. Yoshikazu Iwamoto, shakuhachi; Pierre-Yves Artaud, bass flute (Editura Muzicala: EM 1002)
• Concerto, ‘Seven Levels to the Sky’. Daniel Kientzy, saxophones; Emil Simon/Cluj-Napoca Philharmonic (Nova Musica: NMCD 5105)

• Artistic biography and list of works
• Biographical sketch and list of works at The Living Composers Project.