On Tuesday, 24^th of March 2026, the second edition of the UCIMR Awards Gala will take place, during which the Performing Excellence Awards will be granted. Oboist and conductor Adrian Petrescu is nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Awards, and he spoke about this recognition in an interview with Ana Sireteanu.

Mr. Adrian Petrescu, you have been nominated to receive a distinction for your lifetime career at the UCIMR Awards Gala. What would this recognition mean to you, and how would you describe your professional journey?

I am glad and honored to receive such recognition from the experts. It is the culmination of my entire artistic activity, which started when I was very young, at the age of 10, when I began studying the oboe, and has grown into what it is today. It has been an incredibly enjoyable experience. I did exactly what I wanted to do; I fulfilled one of my dreams, that of becoming a member of the George Enescu Philharmonic and of performing in the temple of music, the Romanian Athenaeum. I've had the satisfaction of performing alongside some of the world's greatest artists, but at the same time, I've maintained a solo career in concerts and recitals. I've performed several times with the George Enescu Philharmonic alongside conductors such as Mircea Cristescu, Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andreescu, and others.

I can also mention that I have received several international awards. In addition to my work as an instrumental soloist and as principal oboist of the George Enescu Philharmonic, I have also embraced an additional role; namely that of conducting, which I basically started in 2005, when I established the brass ensemble of the George Enescu Philharmonic, with Romanian Brass, with which I also made my debut as a conductor.

I was then invited by all the orchestras in Romania; I have conducted the George Enescu Philharmonic on several occasions, as well as the Cluj Philharmonic, the Iași Philharmonic, and the Târgu Mureș Philharmonic, the most important orchestras in Romania. Therefore, I must say, I have a sense of satisfaction and inner peace; I have accomplished quite some things so far.

What role does The Romanian Association of Music Performers (UCIMR) play today, in your opinion?

I am convinced that it plays a very important role in inspiring musicians and raising the standards to the highest artistic level, because we, Romanians, have enormous potential. We are a very talented nation, fond of music and gifted with great sensitivity. I greatly appreciate the administrative bodies, with which we are very satisfied and which are a source of national pride.