The 20th edition of the George Enescu International Competitive Music Festival , running between August 23 and September 19, will include six symphonic concerts performed by prestigious Romanian orchestras and renowned artists of the international scene, on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum.
"On the stages of the Romanian Athenaeum, the National Radio Orchestra, the Romanian Youth Orchestra and the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra will perform, along with internationally renowned conductors and some of the most promising young musicians in the world. The playbill includes the inaugural concert, the concert dedicated to the Composition Section, the concert that concludes the Conducting Masterclass and the three finals of the cello, violin and piano sections, in which the winners of the 2026 edition will be designated. The six concerts reflect one of the fundamental values of the Enescu Competition: the dialogue between established personalities of the international music scene and the new generation of artists who will define the future of classical music," according to organisers.
The anniversary edition will start on August 23 with a concert by the National Radio Orchestra, under the baton of the artistic director of the competition, Cristian Macelaru. The winners of the 2024 edition will return to the stage - violinist Mayumi Kanagawa, cellist Yo Kitamura and pianist Roman Lopatynskyi.
The playbill proposes a dialogue between contemporary creation and the Romanian and universal musical heritage: The Stone and the Ivy by Diego Santamaria, awarded with the Originality Award at the George Enescu International Competition 2024 edition, Brahmsodia - Triple Concerto for violin, cello, piano and orchestra op. 169 by Dan Dediu and Symphony no. 1 in E flat major op. 13 by George Enescu. There is also the awards Ggla of the Composition Section, which inaugurates the series of winners of the 2026 edition", shows the quoted source.
On August 27, two successive events dedicated to contemporary creation are scheduled.
In the foyer of the Romanian Athenaeum there will be a concert that capitalises on the results of the Composition and Conducting Masterclasses.
The three works of the active participants in the Composition Masterclass will be performed by the Couleurs Ensemble, under the direction of three conductors selected from among the active participants in the Conducting Masterclass led by Cristian Macelaru.
In the evening, the National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, will perform, on the stage of the Great Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum, the final concert dedicated to the Composition Section, with the special guest being the composer and pianist Zygmunt Krauze, president of the jury of this section, who will perform his own Piano Concerto no. 3 - Fragments of Memory.
On August 28, the final concert of the Conducting Masterclass will take place, which will bring to the lectern Cristian Macelaru and three young conductors selected from among the course attendees, along with the Romanian Youth Orchestra, "one of the most appreciated youth orchestral ensembles."
The finals of the instrumental sections are scheduled for September.
On September 7, the final of the Cello Section will take place, which will bring on stage the most valuable cellists of the edition. They will perform concerts from the competition's repertoire with the National Radio Orchestra, conducted by the American conductor Case Scaglione.
The final of the Violin Section is scheduled for September 13, when the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Harry Ogg, will accompany the finalists in one of the most anticipated three evenings of the competition.
The anniversary edition of the George Enescu International Competition will end on September 19 with the Final of the Piano Section, staged by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Daniela Candillari.
The event will bring together the three pianists qualified for the final, who will perform reference concerts from the piano literature, before the awarding of the last grand prizes of the George Enescu International Competition 2026.
Tickets and subscriptions are available online, on the Eventim.ro ticketing platform, as well as in physical format, in Carturesti and Humanitas bookstores throughout the country.
Admission is free for pupils, students and teachers of music schools and universities, as well as people with disabilities and their companions.
The George Enescu International Competition takes place under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, and it is funded by the Romanian government, through the Ministry of Culture and is organised by ARTEXIM, in partnership with the ArtProduction Foundation.
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