Jean Lupu, the founder of the "Symbol" Children and Youth Choir, celebrated his 85th birthday on March 7th, 2025. A conductor, deacon, and professor, he left a significant mark on musical education through his creations - both songs and children's textbooks. For over three decades, Jean Lupu has been the soul of the ensemble he created in 1990; he himself became a true "symbol" of choral art. In this context, on Saturday, March 8th, 2025, the George Enescu Philharmonic from the capital is hosting a celebratory concert dedicated to conductor Jean Lupu. About the significance of this event, the famous musician had a conversation with Ioana Țintea.

Maestro Jean Lupu, this year you celebrate your 85th anniversary and an impressive career in the field of choral music. How do you see this anniversary?

I look at this anniversary as a crowning of a lifetime's work, of a calling that was discovered all the way back in elementary school, in middle school, the theologic seminary, in faculty… All of my mentors have guided me towards music. Right at the seminary, where I went to become a priest, guided by my father and, of course, my own wish, all of the music professors there (church music, linear music, practic singing), all three - Marin Brînaru, Alexie Buzera and Ioasaf Ganea - guided me to do choral conducting. And that's what I did. Starting from seminary year 5, I began practicing at the Folk Art School, the Conducting section, where I had master Alexandru Racu, a young alumni of Craiova conservatory, as a mentor.

You founded the Symbol Choir in 1990, a unique project for that period, during a time when big changes were happening in Romania. How do you remember that beginning?

The Symbol Choir was created out of necessity - my necessity to express myself in this religious realm and society's thirst for religious music. As proof is the fact that when I announced the creation of this kind of choir, there was a large number of candidates and parents who were excited about such a project.

Ever since, every year, dozens of kids who candidate in the Symbol Choir and who are rigorously selected following certain criteria well established by me and adopted by my colleague, Luminița Guțanu.

Over the 35 years of its existence, the "Symbol" Children and Youth Choir became an ambassador for the Romanian choir music, singing on important stages in our country and internationally. Looking at the achievements obtained so far as well as the future, what do you think are the most important achievements, and what evolution paths do you see for the ensemble?

The most important achievements, I think, are first and foremost the general education and the musical education that is guaranteed for the kids who come to the Symbol Choir and who, for their part, carry on this education in the environments they frequent, in their families, with their friends, their relatives. This would be one achievement.

Another achievement is the performance of these kids who, through concerts, through church service, through participations at other shows, contests and festivals, carry the message of the romanian music for one and also of the general universal music to the public at large.

I believe another achievement is the fact that we have truly been credible ambassadors through the purity of our voice, the purity of the children's souls, credible ambassadors throughout Europe. We travelled throughout Europe with these kids, from the Ural to the Atlantic, and everywhere they were appreciated, applauded, and invited again to concerts, festivals, and contests. Through these, we showed the people of Europe, and especially Bruxelles, where, for 12 years, we had been always invited, and we carried this music's message. We convinced, as I said, the people of Europe that Romanians have talent, that Romanians have cultural-artistic values and that those kids that were once shown on TV in the old days and called vagabonds and beggars was just ugly propaganda, that the true values are the ones presented before their eyes - touchable, audible, vizible. Before their eyes, talented, beautiful, smart, well-behaved, and serious children were performing.

What are your wishes for the ensemble's future?

For the ensemble's future, I wish that it will carry on this citadel, which is, in fact, happening now. I said that Symbol is like a Sagrada Familia church from Barcelona, which is always being built, decorated, and growing taller and taller. This is what I wish Symbol to be in the future.

What message do you have for the young people who wish to take the road of choir music?

The message I give to all who wish to follow choir music, as a conductor, first and foremost… I would tell them to only take up conducting if they have a calling for it, a restlessness for this, if they can't sleep from the wish to make kids sing as beautiful as possible. And for those who want to sing in a group, I encourage them to go, because in a choir there is general education through music and especially intellectual education, music being the discipline that trains both cerebraal hemispheres - on the one hand, it engages ration, on the other hand, it engages afectivity and this way evolves creativity, and distributive attention, and logical thinking which support productivity in other domains of activity. Later down the line, you can become a medic, a biology professor or anything else, an engineer, based on these values formed during childhood and youth.