The celebration, marked on January 15, the birth date of poet Mihai Eminescu, brings a variety of events, both in the country and abroad. Here is a selection of what has been announced.

In Bucharest:

The Cotroceni National Museum offers free admission to visitors who choose the unguided tour on January 15. The public can discover here the history of one of the residences of Romania's former King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. The tour includes the official halls on the first floor, the royal family's apartments on the second floor, and the temporary exhibition Lights and shadows – Ferdinand and Marie, which focuses on the personalities of the two royals. Access to the un-guided tours is made at the gate on Cotroceni Road, based on an identity document, without prior appointment.

The Museum of Recent Art (MARe) offers free admission on January 15. Currently on show at MARe is the exhibition Inwards/Outwards, which brings together a significant number of new works in a wide range of media (painting, sculpture, bas-reliefs, installations, and a large mural on the façade of MARe) by Dumitru Gorzo.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) offers free access to a guided tour of the exhibition The Twist: Failing Empires, Triumphant Provinces. Călin Dan, the curator of the exhibition and director of MNAC, will guide the public through the exhibition, which brings together more than 200 objects and artefacts, from Roman archaeology and traditional motifs to contemporary art, installations, and recent visual culture. It is the result of a collaborative effort that brings together 17 museum institutions and numerous artists and collectors.

The Grigore Antipa Museum of Natural History offers free admission to its permanent exhibition and to the exhibition 8, where the public can see some 80 species of living tarantulas. It also hosts a treasure hunt, Nature's Poetry, inspired by the verses of Mihai Eminescu.

The Museum of Old Maps offers free admission, including to the temporary exhibition Zoom in. Zoom out. Romania in Maps, curated by Elena Păunoiu and Ioana Zamfir.

The Museum of the Romanian Peasant hosts several events, including the opening of the exhibitions In memoriam Corneliu Vasilescu and Between I and We, the latter with a music program featuring soprano Alexandra Tănase, pianist Andra Demidov, Berechet Sisters Band, and a dance performance by Elena Mihaela Zamfirescu. In the evening, the museum's cinema will host a screening of Cristi Puiu's The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, followed by a Q&A with the film's crew.

The National Museum of History of Romania said it was awaiting the public with free access to its permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum hosts a program of music recitals and selections from Mihai Eminescu's poetry.

ARCUB kicks off on January 15 the Urban Culture Days, a program highlighting contemporary art forms, from music and performance to video games and digital media. The National Culture Day program focuses on the music of video games, from the 8-bit sounds of the first consoles to complex soundtracks and live performances that have turned the genre into an impactful cultural expression form. The free-access program, which runs from 18:00 to 22:00, starts with a discussion alongside Gojira, George Pandrea, DEX, Dualtrx, and Otaku, artists and creators active at the intersection of music, urban culture, and digital media. This will be followed by DJ sets by George Pandrea and Gojira, a turntable set by DEX, and VJing and visuals sessions by Otaku, among others.

Bucharest National Opera (ONB) will present a program gathering performances by the Bucharest Metropolitan Orchestra, tenor Ștefan Pop, mezzo-soprano Ramona Zaharia, pianist Raluca Știrbăț, nai (pan flute) player Damian Drăghici, and violinist Alexandru Tomescu.

The Ion Dacian Musical and Operetta Theater presents a performance of the rock opera Meșterul Manole, which premiered on January 15, 2024. The concert-show combines rock music with Manole's tragic story to build 'an emotional and captivating universe.'

The National Radio Theater launches on January 15 the streaming platform eteatru.ro, gathering audio thousands of audio performances for both children and adults, from classic productions to contemporary creations. The content on the platform is available free of charge.

The National Library of Romania hosts an exhibition showcasing the traditional Romanian dress in drawings and watercolors from its collections. On January 15, it will host an event featuring various workshops, including one focused on family photos, and a conference with actress Maia Morgenstern, writer Filip Florian, historian Radu Tudorancea, and visual artist Gabriela Petre as guests. Entrance is free, within the available seating.

The I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest (TNB) will offer free guided tours of the TNB Museum from 12:00 to 14:00. Access to the exhibition Queen Marie at the Theater is free, based on a ticket available online or at the box office. From 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00, free guided tours of the TNB are held. Beginning at 19:00, performances of two productions from the current TNB season are scheduled: Moroi şi păpădii (Spirits and Dandelions), directed by Gavril Pătru, and Exile, directed by Alexandra Badea.

In addition to hosting the MUSICRIT awards gala on January 14, the Romanian Youth Art Center hosts, on January 15, a concert featuring Arcadia Quartet and the Chamber Music Choir Preludiu.

In the country:

In Iași, the Moldova Museum Complex hosts the exhibitions Pictora, with works by Florentina Voichi, at the Culture Palace (January 14 – February 13), and The Human Condition by artist George Costea at the Union Museum (January 16 – February 15). The Romanian National Opera in Iași will host a concert on January 15 in the Grand Hall of the Culture Palace, featuring soloists of the institution and its children's choir. The Vasile Alecsandri National Theater will offer a performance of I.L. Caragiale's D-ale carnavalului.

In Cluj, the Lucian Blaga National Theater has included in its program a performance dedicated to the work of Mihai Eminescu and a poetry recital in partnership with the Romanian Opera in Cluj. Meanwhile, the Transylvania History Museum opens on January 15 the exhibition Untold Treasures. History of Transylvania through Objects.

In Sibiu, the Brukenthal Museum is a partner in the opening on January 15 of the exhibition Trei, with works by Dragoș Pătrașcu, Adrian Stoleriu, and Sorin Purcaru. The exhibition opens at the Sibiu City Hall.

In Târgu Jiu, the Constantin Brâncuși Museum opens the series of events marking the Brâncuși Year with the exhibition Monochrome. There is so much grey to every story by Petru Lucaci (January 15 - February 17).

In Timișoara, the city's Opera House holds a concert at the Art Museum. Access is free, within available seating.

At the same time, the George Enescu Museum offers free access to its branches in Sinaia and Tescani.

Abroad:

The branches of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) are organizing a series of concerts, performances, conferences, film screenings, exhibitions, and other events to mark the January 15 celebration.

ICR Vienna is organizing a piano recital delivered by Adela Liculescu. The event takes place at the Grand Hall of the Funkhaus Wien. The program includes works by George Enescu, Paul Constantinescu, Carl Filtsch, and Nicolae Kirculescu.

Adela Liculescu will also perform at the Hallwyl Museum in Stockholm on January 19 at an event organized by ICR Stockholm.

ICR Lisbon opens on January 15 an exhibition with drawings by Horațiu Mălăele and hosts a presentation of two of his volumes.

The Romanian Culture and Humanities Research Institute in Venice organizes the conference How to read Eminescu today? Literary challenges, ideological filters, delivered by professor Bogdan Creţu, and a recital of poetry by Eminescu.

ICR Madrid organizes the exhibition Bucharest: Maps on the Move, showcasing archival and recent photos of the Romanian capital. The exhibition, curated by Adrian Majuru and Dan Pîrvulescu, is open at Maruja Mallo Hall (Retiro). At the same time, the exhibition Romania's treasures in the UNESCO Heritage will be open at Espai d'Art inside the Benidorm City Hall.

ICR Brussels organizes four screenings of The Yellow Tie, the biographical drama about conductor Sergiu Celibidache starring John Malkovich, Sean Bean, and Miranda Richardson. The film's director, Serge Celebidachi, and writer James Olivier will attend four Q&A sessions in French. The screenings take place at Cinema Vendôme on January 15.

ICR Budapest and its branch in Szeged organize a poetry recital in Szeged on January 15 and another recital, accompanied by music, in Budapest on January 22.

ICR Beijing organizes a piano recital by Matei Rogoz on January 15 at Cloud House (Choi Centre). It will also open the photo exhibition 15 Personalities of Romanian Culture. Another piano recital by Matei Rogoz is scheduled for January 17 at the institution's headquarters.

ICR New York hosts at its Manhattan headquarters an event focused on the personality of director and poet Gábor Tompa. The program also includes a live music moment, delivered by cellist Mihai Marica.

ICR Chișinău organizes a concert delivered by cellist Andrei Ioniță and accordionist Radu Rățoi at the city's Organ Hall on January 17.

ICR London hosts on January 17 the performance A Hand for the Poet, which includes poems by Mihai Eminescu, Tudor Arghezi, Marin Sorescu, and Nichita Stănescu and video screenings featuring interventions by actors Anamaria Marinca and Sir Michael Pennington, and archival material by Ion Caramitru.

ICR Paris hosts, on January 22, the project Dada-Lecture: Un Marathon du Hasard Poétique, a reading marathon in which the public is invited to read representative texts of the Romanian Avant-garde.

ICR Tokyo organizes, on January 24, at the headquarters of the Romanian Embassy, the screening of the film Eminescu – Veronica – Creangă (1914) by Octav Minar, and a chamber music recital by violinist Mohri Fumika and pianist Kaneshige Toshihiro.

ICR Istanbul organizes a classical music recital delivered by violinist Maria Marica and pianist Alexandra Segal on January 24 at Süreyya Opera.

(Illustration: Ministerul Culturii)

simona@romania-insider.com