The George Enescu Philharmonic is Romania’s oldest and most important symphony orchestra. It has been a trailblazer since 1868 and is situated at the crossroads of national and international culture.
We are Romania’s best classical music ensemble, made up of gifted musicians who merge their talents, while aspiring to consummate technique and expression, to make music together as a harmonious whole.
We are dedicated to great musical performance. We work in partnership with the best conductors and soloists, to create soul-enriching experiences for our audiences and make room for growth and grace.
Setting out from our rich history, we strive to provide the consummate place where we fulfill through music our identity as citizens of humanity.
The George Enescu Philharmonic gives life to music of universal value, in performances that bring together musicians and audience in experiencing a state of grace.
The George Enescu Philharmonic offers the joy of classical music as a universal language of expression and understanding.
We aim to be the catalyst that makes Bucharest a better place in which to live and our home, the Romanian Athenaeum, a safe haven for our humanity, lived in a symphonic key.
It is here that the George Enescu Philharmonic creates and nurtures a state of grace.
A cultural beacon for more than 150 years, George Enescu Philharmonic brings together artists and audiences in a spiritually nourishing experience and opens up a refined perspective on life through the grace and transformative power of music.
The Romanian Athenaeum - the temple of music and ideas that is our home and shapes our sound - is the place where we, artists and spectators, recognize ourselves in the universal values, share the same experience, know the same truth, and become together much more than we would have been alone.
Romanian Philharmonic Society (founded on July 28, 1868)
Founded in 1868, the Romanian Philharmonic Society, under the directorship of Eduard Wachmann, took for its aim the establishment of a permanent symphonic orchestra in Bucharest, as a means to foster musical culture and gain a wider audience for classical music.
Under the baton of its founder, the orchestra gave its first concert on 15 December 1868.
Since the inauguration of the Romanian Athenaeum palace on 5 March 1889, concerts have been held here uninterruptedly. More than just the home of the Philharmonic, the Romanian Athenaeum has therefore also become a symbol of Romanian culture.
Wachmann, who conducted the first symphonic orchestra until 1907, was followed by Dimitrie Dinicu (1868-1936), who was succeeded in 1920 by outstanding conductor George Georgescu (1887-1964), a pupil of Arthur Nikisch.
Conductor George Georgescu
Under the directorships of George Georgescu (1920-1944, 1954-1964), the Philharmonic modernized its repertoire and got on an international career.
It embarked on its first international tours and invited to Bucharest leading figures of interwar music, such as Jacques Thibaud, Pablo Casals, Igor Stravinsky, Enrico Mainardi, Alfred Cortot, Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Yehudi Menuhin, and Herbert von Karajan.
It was also thanks to George Georgescu that the orchestra made its first landmark recordings, such as Beethoven’s complete symphonies.
After the Second World War, the orchestra broadened its activities, under the directorships of Constantin Silvestri and George Georgescu.
The Academic Choir was founded, an outstanding body of vocal and instrumental concert soloists took shape, and various chamber ensembles were established, ranging from orchestras to piano trios. The name of George Georgescu is also linked to memorable concerts given by the Philharmonic Orchestra during the first editions of the George Enescu International Festival. After the war, Mircea Basarab, Dumitru Capoianu, Ion Voicu, and Mihai Brediceanu succeeded each other as directors of the Philharmonic.
George Enescu and Pablo Casals as soloists & George Georgescu at the GEP Orchestra podium, 1937
Since the death of George Enescu in 1955, the Philharmonic has been named after the great Romanian musician and composer, thereby keeping his memory alive, honoring his outstanding body of work, and perpetuating his complex legacy.
Since the fall of the communist régime, the orchestra has been directed by great pianist Dan Grigore (1990), conductor Cristian Mandeal (1991-2009), and director general Andrei Dimitriu (2010-2022). Under the baton of Cristian Mandeal, the George Enescu Philharmonic regained its former brilliance.
The Philharmonic has recorded extensively, producing a body of work that includes the complete symphonies of George Enescu and Johannes Brahms. In addition to its current 300 or so annual symphonic and chamber concerts, the Philharmonic has recorded dozens of LPs and CDs and made successful tours of Europe, Asia, and the Far East, garnering an international reputation.
Young Romanian musicians of promising international stature have been promoted, including Ioana Cristina Goicea, Daniel Ciobanu, Gabriel Bebeşelea, Andrei Ioniţă, Vlad Stănculeasa, Mihai Ritivoiu, and Valentin Şerban.
Since April 2022, the director of the Philharmonic has been cellist Marin Cazacu, a longstanding soloist and member of the Philharmonic, a university teacher, and one of the best-loved Romanian musicians of recent decades.
During his directorship, the Symphonic Season has substantially enriched the program of its concerts, promoting a varied and ambitious repertoire and inviting to the Athenaeum prestigious international musicians such as Mikhail Pletnev, Charles Dutoit, Vadim Repin, Thomas and Michael Sanderling, Lawrence Foster, Leonard Slatkin, Vasilii Petrenko, Andreas Haefliger, Sayaka Shoji, Hrachuhi Bassenz, Julian Rachlin, and Renaud Capuçon.
For applying to jobs at the George Enescu Philharmonic, please fill in the application form (Attachment 2) and the form which states your work experience.
