George Enescu Festival

George Enescu Festival Welcome to the official page of the George Enescu International Festival & Competition.

Official account of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition.

๐—”๐—ป ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฒ: ๐—–๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚Pablo Casals did not distribute praise lightly. When he spoke about Geo...
31/05/2026

๐—”๐—ป ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฒ: ๐—–๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚

Pablo Casals did not distribute praise lightly. When he spoke about George Enescu, the remark attributed to him, calling Enescu โ€œthe greatest musical phenomenon since Mozartโ€, reflected a genuine artistic shock: the encounter with a musician who defied categorization.

Casals and Enescu met within the demanding world of early 20th-century chamber music, where reputation meant nothing without absolute musical credibility. In that context, Enescu impressed not as a specialist, but as a complete musician, equally convincing as a violinist, pianist, composer, and interpreter of the chamber repertoire. For Casals, whose artistic standards were uncompromising, this versatility was not a mere curiosity, but a mark of exceptional depth.

What Casals recognized in Enescu was not only technical command, but a rare musical intelligence: phrasing shaped by structural understanding rather than surface effect, and an interpretive voice that resisted display in favor of necessity. Their connection belongs to that discreet but decisive layer of musical history where respect is earned in rehearsal rooms and chamber performances, not through public myth-making.

In Casalsโ€™ estimation, Enescu was not simply an admired colleague among many; he was an exception who redefined what a single musician could embody.

Photo: Muzeul Naศ›ional "George Enescu" - George Enescu is represented together with the cellist Pablo Casals in Bordeaux in 1904, with a soprano also present. In the lower left corner, on the passepartout, the mark of the photographic studio can be seen: "Panajou Frรจres".

30/05/2026

The Conducting Masterclass is a fun and enriching experience that allows young conductors to develop the skills necessary to improve as musicians.

Applications are open until 30 June! Don't miss this opportunity ๐ŸŽถ

29/05/2026

Urmeazฤƒ รฎn programul Radio Romรขnia Cultural 09:00 Teatrul Naลฃional Radiofonic pentru copii Frumoasa din pฤƒdurea adormitฤƒ de Charles Perrault. Traducerea ลŸi adaptarea radiofonicฤƒ: Maria Ioana Vasiloiu. รŽn distribuลฃie: Irina Movilฤƒ, Cristian Iacob, Rodica Mandache, Eusebiu ลžtefฤƒnescu, Gen...

๐—ง๐—œ๐—–๐—ž๐—˜๐—ง๐—ฆ ๐—ข๐—ก ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—˜ | ๐—๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—ฌ ๐— ๐—˜๐— ๐—•๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ฆโ€™ ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—–๐—œ๐—ง๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ | ๐—˜๐—ก๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—–๐—จ ๐—–๐—ข๐— ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐ŸฒThe Enescu Competition opens its doors not only to dis...
29/05/2026

๐—ง๐—œ๐—–๐—ž๐—˜๐—ง๐—ฆ ๐—ข๐—ก ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—˜ | ๐—๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—ฌ ๐— ๐—˜๐— ๐—•๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ฆโ€™ ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—–๐—œ๐—ง๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ | ๐—˜๐—ก๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—–๐—จ ๐—–๐—ข๐— ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ง๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ

The Enescu Competition opens its doors not only to discovery, but also to interpretation at the highest level. Alongside the competitive rounds, audiences are invited to experience a rare series of recitals presented by members of the international jury โ€“ artists whose careers define the very standards of excellence against which the next generation is evaluated.

These recitals offer an intimate encounter with artistic mastery: refined programmes, individual interpretative worlds, and performances shaped by decades of international experience on the worldโ€™s leading stages. Each appearance is a statement of musical identity, beyond adjudication, in direct dialogue with the audience.

๐Ÿ“ŒTickets are available for the complete Enescu Competition 2026 programme. Seats are limited, and demand is expected to be high given the exclusivity of these performances within the Festival period in Bucharest.

Full subscriptions and individual tickets are available via the official platform: eventim.ro

28/05/2026

Lawrence Foster talking about Enescu's String Octet:

28/05/2026

Printre evenimentele desfฤƒศ™urate pe scena Ateneului Romรขn รฎn cadrul ediศ›iei de anul trecut a George Enescu Festival s-a numฤƒrat ศ™i recitalul din 20 septembrie 2025, susศ›inut de soprana Julia Lezhneva ศ™i interpretul la lฤƒutฤƒ Luca Pianca. Programul a cuprins arii de Giulio Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, Vincenzo Bernia, Domenico Mazzocchi, Giacomo Carissimi, Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Paisiello.
รŽnregistrarea acestui recital va fi difuzatฤƒ joi, 28 mai, de la ora 19.00, la โ€Concertele Radio Romรขnia Muzicalโ€.

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€ | ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐ŸฒAre you ready to take the next step in the ar...
27/05/2026

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€ | ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ

Are you ready to take the next step in the art of conducting? This Masterclass in Conducting within the Enescu Competition offers a rare opportunity for young conductors (born after 1 August 1991) who aim to deepen their understanding of ensemble psychology and the complexity of musical communication from the podium. Under the guidance of Maestro Cristian Mฤƒcelaru, Grammy Award winner, participants will engage in an in-depth exploration of classical and contemporary repertoire, focusing on the evolving relationship between conductor and orchestra.

Active participants will take part in six rehearsal sessions with the prestigious Romanian Youth Orchestra, working lunches and dinners dedicated to personalized feedback with Maestro Mฤƒcelaru, as well as wellbeing workshops and media communication training. The programme also places strong emphasis on public performance: three selected conductors will lead the Final Concert at the Romanian Athenaeum on 28 August, while the remaining participants will conduct composition sessions and the pre-concert programme in the foyer. All participants will also enjoy free access to the Enescu Competition concerts.

โ„น Registrations are open until 30 June 2026, with results announced on 8 July 2026. The masterclasses will take place in Bucharest between 24 and 28 August 2026.

๐Ÿ“ŒApply now by completing the online form and submitting your preselection video via the official platform: festivalenescu.ro

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ปA music competition shouldn't just look back at the masterworks of the past, ...
25/05/2026

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
A music competition shouldn't just look back at the masterworks of the past, it must actively fuel the creation of the future.

At the George Enescu International Competition, this philosophy takes the concrete form of our imposed works for the instrumental sections. Rather than selecting existing contemporary pieces from a library, we provide a platform for rising composers by commissioning brand-new works specifically written for each edition.

We initiated this vision in 2024 under the guidance of our Artistic Director, Cristian Mฤƒcelaru, inviting previous Romanian winners of the Enescu Composition Competition to write the imposed pieces for the semi-finalists in the Cello, Piano, and Violin categories. This initiative created a brilliant, living ecosystem of artistic support. Today, we are proud to see that several international participants have embraced these commissioned works, including them into their concert repertoires beyond the competition stages.

As we look toward the 20th George Enescu International Competition in 2026, this legacy of creative renewal deepens. By challenging a new generation of virtuosos with unrecorded, freshly inked scores, the 2026 edition continues to bridge performance and composition. In doing so, we honor Enescuโ€™s truest legacy: a boundless generosity toward young talent and a lifelong belief that music must always remain a living, breathing art form.

โ„น Applications for the Composition section are open until 30 June. More info on festivalenescu.ro

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Bucharest

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