Cornel Cristei is a graduate of "George Enescu" Conservatory in Iași, the piano class. He was the initiator and the leader of the band Ethos between 1974 and 1983, but also worked in the same period for the State Opera of Iași and Oradea State Theater. Since 1984 is member of the Roșu Și Negru band and of the Electric Cord band from 1986, but he was working in parallel as instrumentalist of the “Romanian Rhapsody” Theatre of Bucharest.

During 1974-1983, as leader of the band Ethos, he is the national winner in the final stage of the student festival ''Primăvara Studențească'' and received awards for creativity and as instrumentalist. He participated in the Sibiu Jazz Festival - editions 1978, 1981 and 1983. With the Electric Cord band he toured internationally with The Platters, Jennifer Rush, Gloria Gaynor, Tony Christie, Ricchi E Poveri, Fiesta Tropicana, Anna Maria Kaufmann, Deborah Sasson, Heino, Johnny Cash, and others.

His compositions ''Visul'', ''Doar noi'', ''Înserare'' were in the ''Săptămâna'' magazine charts. He composed music for the theater in Oradea in years 1978-1980, especially plays for children. He composed music for the play ''Feriți-vă de femeile măritate'' by Eugène Labiche, ''Povestea unui înger'' by Marin Sorescu, ''Tăblia de la marginea patului'' by M. Brănescu, ''Savanah Bay'' by Marguerite Duras, ''Un spectacol ratat'' by Daniil Charms, ''Zăpezile de altă dată'' by D. Solomon, ''Sînziana și Pepelea'', ''Remember Maria Tănase'', ''Moara cu noroc'' after Ioan Slavici, ''Amintiri din copilărie'' after Ion Creangă, ''Petrecere într-un pian cu coadă'' by I. Brănescu, at the theater Maria Filotti from Brăila, where working today.