Bucharest events: Athenaeum Summer Festival brings mix of genres, soprano Sally Matthews as special guest

The third edition of Athenaeum Summer Festival, with a program bringing together classical, jazz, film, and early music, is scheduled to take place between June 20 and June 29 at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.

In the festival’s opening concert, British soprano Sally Matthews will perform the final scene of Richard Strauss’s Capriccio, alongside the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leo Hussain. The concert also marks the closing of the Philharmonic’s 2023-2024 season.

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to deliver the festival’s closing event, with a program of works by Tchaikovsky and Harilaos Perpessas (Christus Symphony). The concert will be conducted by Yannis Pouspourikas, and violinist Liya Petrova is the soloist.

Jazz fans have a dedicated concert in the program, Transylvanian Folk Songs, delivered by Trio Lucian Ban, John Surman, and Mat Maneri,while Bach by Night offers early music enthusiasts a Bach-only program.

Another concert will see the Athenaeum String Orchestra and the George Enescu Philharmonic Choir perform Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet) and Carl Orff’s Catulli Carmina.

Film scores are the focus of the concert Symphonic Summer Vibes, conducted by Felix Mildenberger and having violinist Valentin Șerban as soloist.

On June 22 and June 23, the garden of the Athenaeum will host two open-air concerts delivered by the Athenaeum String Quintet: - Vivaldi Forever! and Classical, entertainment, film music. Access to the outdoor concerts is free of charge.

The program of the festival is available here.

(Photo: the organizers)