As a preview to the celebration of the National Culture Day, traditionally, the Union of Music Critics, Editors and Producers (UCRRM) organized on January 14 in partnership with the George Enescu Philharmonic, the Romanian Youth National Art Center and Artexim, a new edition of the MUSICRIT Awards Gala, a reference event “not only a celebration of performance from all areas of classical music, but also a real platform for recognition, dialogue and inspiration at the level nationally, repositioning music criticism and cultural journalism in the roles of guarantors of value and promoters of excellence”, as the musicologist Dr. Luminița Arvunescu, president of the UCRRM, explains in the official invitation to the gala.
The awards of the guild of music critics are unique in Romania and reward the qualities, merits, exceptional artistic and managerial results achieved by performers, musical institutions, in a word, overcoming the high value bar in the art of sounds.
For 2025, a number of 11 annual Awards, 5 Awards of Excellence, the Grigore Constantinescu Award – a distinction created in memory of the president-founder of UCRRM and two MUSICRIT Trophies were awarded. For the first time, they were joined by the Special Union Award.
The festive and solemn evening, which filled the historic auditorium of the Romanian Athenaeum to capacity, was hosted by Luminița Arvunescu and Marius Constantinescu, cultural journalist, TVR.
MUSICRIT awards
Nicolae Gheorghiță and Olguța Lupu
The Grigore Constantinescu Award – university professor dr. OLGUȚA LUPU, dean of the Faculty of Composition, Musicology and Music Pedagogy at the National University of Music Bucharest, coordinator of the Musicology Section of the Union of Composers and Musicologists
Costin Zaharia and Costin Popa
Prize for Music Criticism – COSTIN ZAHARIA (Paris)
Laurentiu Constantin and Liliana Staicu
Award for high-performance cultural management – LAURENțIU CONSTANTIN, director of the Bucharest Old Music Festival
Cristina Uruc, Luminița Arvunescu, Valentina Sandu-Dediu
Award for Festival of the Year – GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL – 2025 edition
Teodora Brody Enache and Valentina Băințan
Award for the Project of the Year – TEODORA BRODY ENACHE for the album RHAPSODY, which includes original vocal arrangements of orchestral works by Enescu, Beethoven, Bartók, Pachelbel accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, including a doina a cappella
Roxana Constantinescu and Melody Moore
The Discography Award – The Complete Opera NORMA by Bellini, produced by the EuroArts Music label in collaboration with the San Francisco Classical Recording Company, with soprano Melody Moore, mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu, tenor Ștefan Pop, bass Adam Lau under the baton of Pier Giorgio Morandi, with the accompaniment of the Orchestra and Choir of the Transilvania State Philharmonic from Cluj-Napoca. The conductor of the choir, Cornel Groza. Recording made in the Cluj Radio Studio
Ramona Zaharia and Cristian Rudic
Ramona Zaharia and Cristian Mandeal
Lyric Artist of the Year Award – mezzo-soprano RAMONA ZAHARIA
Arcadia Quartet and Cristina Uruc
Instrumentalists of the Year Award – ARCADIA Cluj-Napoca Quartet
Dumitru Avakian, Laudatio for the George Enescu Philharmonic
Luminița Arvunescu and Marin Cazacu
The award for the Best Symphonic Season in the country – GEORGE ENESCU FILARMONICA Bucharest
Daniel Jinga, Marius Constantinescu, Luminița Arvunescu, Smaranda Oțeanu-Bunea
The award for the Best Lyric Season in the country – BUCHAREST NATIONAL OPERA
Paula Iancic
Revelation of the Year Award – soprano PAULA IANCIC
Luminita Arvunescu, Ana Sireteanu, Ana Voinescu
Young Journalist of the Year Award – ANA SIRETEANU
EXCELLENCE Awards were awarded to Mr. IOAN HOLENDER on his 90th birthday, the longest serving director of the Vienna State Opera, former artistic director of the George Enescu International Festival
Marius Constantinescu, Luminița Arvunescu, Ioan Holender, Liviu Jicman
university professor Dr. VASILE JUCAN, rector of the Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca
Marius Constantinescu, Luminița Arvunescu, Silvia Sbârciu, Cristina Comandașu
TRANSYLVANIA STATE PHILROMNICII from Cluj-Napoca at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of its founding, award given to manager Silvia Sbârciu
Luminita Arvunescu, Liliana Staicu
RADIO ROMANIA CHOIRS on anniversaries (Academic Choir and Children's Choir, 85 and 80 years since establishment, respectively)
Luminita Arvunescu, Verona Maier, Viniciu Moroianu
pianist VINICIU MOROIANU, university professor Ph.D. at the National University of Music in Bucharest,
Vlad Vieru, Adela Vrînceanu-Celebidachi, Oltea Şerban Pârâu
SPECIAL PREMIUM of the UCRRM returned to the film “CRAVATA GALBENĂ”, a production inspired by the life of the great conductor Sergiu Celibidache, directed by his son, Serge Ioan Celebidachi. Producer, Adela Vrînceanu-Celebidachi. Set designer, Vlad Vieru.
MUSICRIT trophies were awarded to the famous mezzo-soprano VIORICA CORTEZ on her 90th birthday (“A life devoted to the opera performance”), as well as
Luminița Arvunescu and Mihaela Martin
the renowned violinist MIHAELA MARTIN, university professor at the Cologne Academy of Music, for “a life devoted to violin performance”.
The MUSICRIT trophy awarded to Viorica Cortez was handed to the artist's granddaughter, Irina Guguianu, who read an emotional message of thanks from Mrs. Cortez. Moreover, all those honored expressed warm thanks for the honor.
The awardees were honored with a Laudatio delivered by Liviu Jicman, president of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Cristina Uruc, Artexim manager and executive director of the George Enescu International Festival, Cristian Rudic, manager of the Romanian National Opera in Timișoara, Valentina Sandu-Dediu, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, prof. Dr. Dr. HC at the National University of Music Bucharest, rector of Noua Europa College, university professor Nicolae Gheorghiță, vice-president of the Union of Composers and Musicologists, vice-rector of the National University of Music Bucharest, university professor dr. Verona Maier, vice-chancellor of the National University of Music Bucharest, Liliana Staicu, director of the Cultural Center for Projects and Events Radio Romania, Cristina Comandașu, manager of Radio Romania Muzical, musicologist Dr. Oltea Șerban-Pârâu, cultural manager, producers of Radio Romania Muzical shows Ana Voinescu and Florica Jalbă, Valentina Băințan, TVR Cultural producer, composer and music editor Ioan Dobrinescu, music critics Smaranda Oțeanu-Bunea, Dumitru Avakian and the signatory of these lines, as well as the hosts of the Gala.
Maestro Cristian Mandeal at the lectern of the Romanian Youth Orchestra
The artistic program…
… was under the sign of the performance of the Romanian Youth Orchestra, an ensemble whose principal conductor, maestro Cristian Mandeal, prof. at the National University of Music Bucharest, laureate of the 2024 MUSICRIT Trophy, brought him to a performing artistic level. He demonstrated it even now through the interpretation of the dance “Hora din Muntenia” from the Symphonic Suite “Three Romanian Dances” by Rogalski (in an authentic cult folkloric spirit), the page “Intermedio” from the zarzuela “La boda de Luis Alonso” by Giménez (dynamic, spectacular, with refined first violins, “woods” of extreme purity, accentuations of the string parts in an exciting Spanish rhythm that brought the hall to its feet), ending the evening with “Ode to joy” from Beethoven's “Ninth Symphony in D minor, op. 125”, monumentally rendered by Cristian Mandeal, magnificently interpreted by the instrumentalists and the Radio Academic Choir (prepared by Ciprian Țuțu).
Cristian Mandeal's baton impressed with his imperial gestures and the laser precision of his directions. The standing ovation confirmed them.
In the solo accompaniment, the style pursued by the conductor was fully appropriate to the various compositional eras, romantic, bel canto, verist and the audience admired the first part “Allegro affettuoso” from the “Concerto for piano and orchestra in A minor, op. 54” by Schumann (Viniciu Moroianu dreamy of the keys, with passionate energy and stormy in the cadence), the Princesse de Bouillon aria from “Adriana Lecouvreur” by Cilea (Ramona Zaharia with a somber timbre, beautiful phrasing and impetuous sharps), Cio-Cio-san's aria from the second act of the opera “M-me Butterfly” by Puccini (sensitive and expressive Paula Iancic, in varied coloristics and a dominating finale), the duet “Mira, o Norma… Si, fino all'ore estreme” from “Norma” (Melody Moore and Roxana Constantinescu, two beautiful voices in full communion ideatica), “Concert Polonaise in D major, op. 4 no. 1 for violin and orchestra” by Wieniawski, performed by Mihaela Martin, virtuoso and with a charming tone.
Part V “Presto” from “String Quartet no. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 131” by Beethoven returned to the Arcadia Quartet, composed of Ana Tőrők-violin, Răsvan Dumitru-violin, Traian Boală-viola, Zsolt Tőrők-cello, a formation with sounds of pure aesthetic essence.
The impeccable artistic outfit of the evening doubled the excellence of the premieres, of the appreciative words spoken about the honored ones.
The Minister of Culture, Demeter András István attended the Gala, and the Ministry of Culture included it among the official events of the National Culture Day Celebration, alongside theaters, performance and concert institutions, museums, libraries throughout the country.
The powers that brought the 4th edition of the Gala to heights of brilliance marked by endless applause were not only due to the organizers and their partners, the artistic capabilities of the performers, but also to the sponsors (QuickWeb, DELEANU Attorneys at Law, Domeniile SÂMBUREȘTI, ACQUA CARPATICA, SUNLAKE), co-producers (TVR CULTURAL, Radio România Muzical) and partners DILEMA, Words Crafters and CAT CULT.
The 2027 edition of the V MUSICRIT Awards Gala will of course be a jubilee.
Photo Andrei Gîndac
