Trained at the source of the Romanian school of piano like Dinu Lipatti, Clara Haskil or Dan Grigore, Dana Ciocarlie also studied in Paris under Victoria Melki at the cole normale de musique and participated in the proficiency training classes of Dominique Merlet and Georges Pludermacher. Her meeting with the German pianist Christian Zacharias would be decisive especially for going deeper into Franz Schuberts work for piano to which she devoted a cycle of nine concerts at the Thtre Molire Maison de la Posie in Paris in 1997.

Her maturity, the simplicity of her tone, her natural expression attracted the attention of the monthly Le Monde de la Musique in a special report devoted to the "2000 generation": young promising artists likely to make a top billing tomorrow. Gifted with a strong artistic temperament where generosity is no less present than commitment, Dana Ciocarlie possesses a vast repertory, stretching from Johann Sebastian Bach to the composers of today. Some of them have dedicated works to her such as Karol Beffa, Frdric Verrires, Nicolas Bacri, and she is renowned as one of the major performers of Horatiu Radulescu. Her experience and her talent have been rewarded with numerous prizes during prestigious international competitions: a Grand Prix at the Robert Schumann International Competition in Zwickau, the Sandor Vegh Special Prize at the Geza Anda Competition in Zurich, the Pro Musicis International Prize, the Young Concert Artist European Auditions in Leipzig, the F. Busoni Competition in Italy. 

Prizewinner of many Foundations: Yvonne Lefbure, Nadia Boulanger, Gyorgy Cziffra, she is also a sought-after performer in the chamber music field. Her multiple activities around the world in performances or in concert with an orchestra have taken her to the United States (Boston, New York, Los Angeles), to Canada (Montreal, Lanaudire Festival), to Hong Kong, to Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania), to France: Cit de laMusique, Thtre du Chtelet, Radio-France, Auditorium du Louvre, Salle Gaveau, MIDEM in Cannes, to the Lyon Opera, and to different festivals : Chopin at Bagatelle, Berlioz at the Cte Saint-Andr, the Women in Music festival in Ushant, Prigord Noir, Massenet in Saint-Etienne, Radio-France-Montpellier, La Roque dAnthron.

Since 2001, she has been a regular guest of Jean-Pierre Derrien for the show Latelier du musicien on France-Musique to play and to comment on Robert Schumanns great works for piano.