The 27th edition of the George Enescu International Festival, one of the world’s leading classical music festivals, will take place in Bucharest, Romania, from August 24 to September 21, 2025. Under the artistic direction of renowned conductor Cristian Măcelaru, this edition will feature multiple international premieres and landmark interpretations, attracting over 4,000 artists from 28 countries, including world-class orchestras, conductors, and soloists.

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A Festival of Celebrations

This edition is dedicated to Celebrations, primarily marking the 70th anniversary of George Enescu’s passing. As Romania’s greatest composer, Enescu’s legacy will be honored through an exceptional program featuring over 45 performances of his works, including symphonies, orchestral suites, Romanian Rhapsodies, chamber music, and his masterpiece opera Oedipe, performed by the Bucharest National Opera.

The Oedipe production will feature renowned artists such as baritone Ionuț Pascu in the title role, the world known mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose as Jocasta, alongside Ramona Zaharia as the Sphinx and Bogdan Baciu as Creon. The opera’s exceptional interpretation will be guided by Stefano Poda, overseeing staging, set design, costumes, lighting, and choreography.

Enescu considered Oedipe his dearest composition, his “most beloved child,” marking his establishment as a composer. Created on a French libretto by Edmond Fleg, based on Sophocles’ tragedies, the work was completed after many years of dedication. Its world premiere took place on March 13, 1936, at the Paris Opera, directed by Pierre Chéreau, a moment Enescu described as the happiest of his life. Conducted by Philippe Gaubert and starring André Pernet in the title role, the performance was broadcast in Romania by Radio România and later presented at the 1937 Paris World Expo. The Romanian premiere only took place in September 1958, at the first edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival, three years after the composer’s death.

Honoring Musical Masters

Beyond Enescu, the festival will also celebrate major milestones in the lives and works of legendary composers: Maurice Ravel (150 years since his birth), Gabriel Fauré (180 years since his birth), Pierre Boulez (100 years since his birth), Arvo Pärt (90 years since his birth), Johann Sebastian Bach (340 years since his birth), Dmitri Shostakovich (50 years since his passing).

Several prestigious orchestras will also mark their anniversaries during the festival: Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (45 years since its founding), Danish National Symphony Orchestra (100 years of activity), Philharmonia Orchestra, London (80 years of activity), Transylvania Philharmonic Orchestra, Cluj-Napoca (70 years since its founding).

London Symphony Orchestra at the George Enescu Festival 2023 (c) Andrada Pavel

A Gathering of the World’s Finest Orchestras

More than 80 orchestras, choirs, and chamber ensembles will take part in the 27th edition of George Enescu International Festival, including:

• Orchestre National de France (France) – Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
• Ensemble Intercontemporain (France)
• Les Siècles (France) – Franck Ollu (Sept 2), Ustina Dubitsky (Sept 3), conductors
• Les Ambassadeurs ~ La Grande Écurie (France) – Emmanuel Resche-Caserta, conductor
• Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich (Switzerland) – Paavo Järvi, conductor
• Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Netherlands) – Klaus Mäkelä, conductor
• Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Italy) – Daniel Harding, conductor
• Philharmonia Orchestra (UK) – Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK) – Vasily Petrenko, conductor
• Czech Philharmonic (Czech Republic) – Petr Popelka, conductor
• Staatskapelle Dresden (Germany) – Daniele Gatti, conductor
• Budapest Festival Orchestra (Hungary) – Iván Fischer, conductor
• WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (Germany) – Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
• George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania) – Arnaud Arbet, conductor
• Romanian Radio National Orchestra (Romania) – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

The Romanian Youth Orchestra will perform alongside the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, while the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, under the baton of Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, will present two special concerts, scheduled for August 25 and 26, 2025, at 20:00. Comprising Ukrainian musicians from around the world, the ensemble symbolizes solidarity with their homeland. This project is the result of a collaboration between the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Polish National Opera, and Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture.

World-Class Soloists

The festival will host some of the most celebrated classical musicians, including violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isabel Faust, Renaud Capuçon, Nemanja Radulović, Augustin Hadelich, pianists Martha Argerich, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Kirill Gerstein, Alexandra Dariescu, Alexandre Kantorow, Nelson Goerner, Rudolf Buchbinder, Sir Andras Schiff, cellists Gautier Capuçon, Kian Soltani, Sol Gabetta, Andrei Ioniță, Alisa Weilerstein or some of the most important soloists of the world opera stage:

• Sopranos: Sonya Yoncheva, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Kristine Opolais, Julia Lezhneva, Jennifer Holloway, Ailyn Pérez, Elsa Dreisig
• Mezzo-sopranos: Ruxandra Donose, Magdalena Kožená, Judit Kutasi, Ramona Zaharia
• Tenors: Benjamin Bernheim, Maximilian Schmitt, Benjamin Hulett, Paul Curievici, Leonardo Cortellazzi
• Bass – Baritones: Iain Paterson, Ionuț Pascu, Bogdan Baciu, Frode Olsen,Vazgen Gazaryan, Soloman Howard

The 27th edition of the George Enescu International Festival offers a comprehensive cultural experience, bringing together the world’s greatest orchestras, conductors, and soloists for an extraordinary celebration of classical music. Concerts will take place in seven iconic venues, each with its own unique history and atmosphere, all within walking distance in the heart of Bucharest.