Mentioned by Gramophone as "a stunningly original pianist with musical insight and maturity comparable to colleagues twice his age", brazilian pianist Cristian Budu had his playing portrayed by famous critic Alain Lompech as "grand, worthy of Arrau in his fifties, certainly of Nelson Freire (who so much admired his younger compatriot) or of any great conductor of the past such as Furtwängler", with a pianism through which "music emerges [...] in an imperious but invisible manner, as though he improvised" (Bachtrack, 2022). The most honorable recommendation that Cristian has ever received came from the great Nelson Freire himself who, in his last interview, said he believed Cristian would become his successor.

Winner of the Clara Haskil International Competition, Cristian Budu also won awards in Brazil such as Instrumentalist of the Year (APCA) and Best Concert of the Year (Guia da Folha). On Gramophone, he entered the “Top 10 Recent Beethoven Recordings” and “Top 10 Chopin Recordings” lists which include recordings by Martha Argerich, Arthur Rubinstein, Maria João Pires, Dinu Lipatti, Murray Perahia and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Still on Gramophone, Cristian entered the “Top 50 Greatest Chopin Recordings”, which brings together 50 of the most anthological interpretations of Chopin in History.

Concerts in the last years include duos with Renaud Capuçon and Antonio Meneses, chamber music with musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, concerts with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and solo recitals at the Verbier Festival and La Roque D'Antheron Piano Festival. He has performed as a soloist with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Orquestre de la Suisse Romande, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, and at venues such as Jordan Hall, Liederhalle, KKL, LAC Lugano and Athenaeum Bucharest.

His solo recordings received prizes such as "Editor's Choice" in England and "5-Diapasons" in France. In the USA, he was part of a Brazilian music quartet that won the Honors Competition of NEC in Boston. In the USA, Cristian hosted the house concerts that generated the creation of Groupmuse, and in Brazil, he also started the project Pianosofia with the intention of cultivating a vibrant environment through informal chamber music events. 

Cristian is now Artistic Director of a Piano Festival in Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais), now going to its third edition, and a Chamber Music Festival in Campinas (São Paulo), going to its second edition, both in which music students receive scholarships for a period of artistic residencies, masterclasses and concerts. Cristian has also made several partnerships with social projects such as Projeto Integração and Liga Solidária, and is now part of the Volunteer Council of Projeto Casulo.

Cristian has an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Boston under the guidance of Wha-Kyung Byun, and there he had the chance to also have lessons with Russell Sherman.