Grammy award-winning Romanian conductor to deliver masterclasses in the country

Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru will deliver a masterclass in his home town of Timișoara this summer, as part of the Romanian Chamber Orchestra project.

The course in Timișoara is scheduled to take place between August 15 and August 18.

Another masterclass in scheduled to take place in Bucharest, between August 19 and August 22. More details are available here.

Cristian Măcelaru’s conducting course is available to young conductors from the country and abroad.

The Romanian Chamber Orchestra project aims to offer Romanian musicians who achieved international recognition a platform to train the young talents in the country.

Last year, the first run of the Romanian Chamber Orchestra project offered seven masterclasses to 37 young musicians. Six of the participants received a fellowship, became part of the orchestra, and took part in the ensemble’s first tour.

This year, the masterclasses target musicians in two age groups, 10 to 18 and 19 to 30. The masterclasses will be delivered by seven musicians working both in the country and abroad. The masterclasses focus on violin, viola, cello, and chamber music ensemble. Fifty young musicians are expected to attend, and four of them will be awarded the Romanian Chamber Orchestra fellowship.

The masterclasses are organized by the Romanian Chamber Orchestra in a partnership with the Music Faculty of the Vest University in Timișoara and Rotary Opera Timișoara Club.

Cristian Măcelaru, who was born in Timișoara, in western Romania, in 1980, received the city’s honorary citizen title this year. He studied violin and conducting in the United States, at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, the University of Miami in Florida, and Rice University in Houston.

He started his conducting career with the Philadelphia Orchestra, an ensemble he conducted more than 100 times since 2010. He is currently the principal conductor of the Köln Radio Orchestra. Starting 2021, he will be the music director of Orchestre National de France (ONF). This year, he was awarded a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for an album with works by Wynton Marsalis, recorded with Nicola Benedetti as soloist, alongside the Philadelphia Symphonic Orchestra.

(Photo courtesy of Romanian Chamber Orchestra /Tribul Artistic)