About Us
Romanian Symphony Orchestra (starting 2025) and the Romanian Chamber Orchestra are part of af the same soul project, born from the desire of Romanian musicians from the Diaspora to represent and promote Romania in the world through art and culture, a “national team of musicians” which consists of some of the most representative Romanian artists which perform under the baton of maestro Cristian Măcelaru and Gabriel Bebeșelea.
Established in 2019 as a chamber orchestra - the Romanian Chamber Orchestra - through the years the project developed two new directions, offering flexibility and versatility in approaching a varied program, from chamber music to the symphonic repertoire. By the caliber of its members and the contribution made to the national heritage, the project became in the last years a point of reference for Romanian culture and a cultural ambassador of Romania in the world. The authentic interpretation of the works is interwoven with the extraordinary skill of the musicians performing in our ensembles, offering the public an excellent concert experience.
The debut tour of the Romanian Symphony Orchestra took place in November 2025 and was entitled “Way to Kölner Philharmonie”. The highlight was represented by the concert which the ensemble (gathering over 70 Romanian musicians) had on November 9, held in one of the most important concert halls in the world - Kölner Philharmonie, with a sold out house and minutes long standing ovations. During the tour were performed four sold out concerts (one in Romania - Héritage Concert Hall Cluj and three in Germany - Kölner Philharmonie, Rhein-Mosel-Halle Koblenz/IMUKO Festival and Heinrich-Lades-Halle Erlangen), under the baton of maestro Gabriel Bebeșelea, featuring four soloists of international caliber - violinist Ioana Cristina Goicea, cellist Benedict Klöckner, clarinetist Sérgio Pires and violist Luminița Marin.
Our Identity
Why Folk-Inspired Music is Central to the Romanian Symphony Orchestra
In every concert program, the Romanian Symphony Orchestra includes at least one work inspired by folk music. This choice is not decorative, nor is it a stylistic gesture. It is a reflection of who we are.
Romanian folk music, and folk music in general, is not only a source of melodies or rhythms; it is a way of shaping musical thought. Its phrasing, articulation, flexibility of tempo, and relationship to sound are deeply embedded in our musical culture. For our musicians, this language is not learned from scores alone, but absorbed naturally through tradition, education, and lived experience.
For this reason, our approach to folk-inspired repertoire is different. We do not treat these works as stylized folklore or exotic color. Instead, we perform them as a living musical language, with an instinctive understanding of their inner pulse, expressive freedom, and expressive tension. The balance between discipline and spontaneity — so characteristic of Romanian folk music — shapes the way we phrase, articulate, and breathe together as an ensemble.
This repertoire allows our musicians to connect they're classical training with our cultural identity. Whether in the music of Enescu, Bartók, Ligeti or contemporary composers, folk influence becomes a space where tradition and refinement meet. It is also the point where our sound becomes most personal and most honest.
By including a folk-inspired work in every program, the Romanian Symphony Orchestra affirm its artistic roots while offering audiences something genuine and unrepeatable: a performance tradition that grows naturally from the cultural soil in which this music was born.
Photos by Dana Moica
© 2025 by Romanian Symphony Orchestra /
Dacian Predan-Hallabrin