Born in Romania with no lower arms and an inverted right leg, Cornel was placed in an orphanage due to attitudes towards disabled people in Romania at that time and was expected to die. Cornel was rescued from the orphanage by aid workers at 18 months old, who brought him over to the UK for an above-knee leg amputation and ended up adopting him.

Cornel excelled in school and earned a degree in philosophy and theology from Oxford University. He’s a prolific drummer, winning the UK Drum-off in 2020 and 2021, where he went on to represent the UK in the global finals. Cornel also plays bass, and has played both instruments across the globe, including headlining shows at prestigious venues across Europe, recording live and session tracks, and appearing as the House Band Drummer and Bassist on Channel 4’s The Last Leg. Cornel manages multiple social media accounts amassing engagement into the millions, influencing others and demonstrating the skill and ability of disabled musicians.

Cornel is an accessibility expert and has managed prolific accessibility programmes across multiple sectors to make huge improvements to the lives of disabled people. He founded and ran a disability charity, chaired multiple international disability forums, influenced UK policy to make COVID testing more accessible, and spearheaded initiatives of accessibility across the built environment, government and private organisations. Cornel is an influential voice in closing the disability employment gap, and a published academic writer, contributing to the field of inclusive teaching in music and disability.