We learn more information about the Tuesday Night Season of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic. The opening of the season takes place on Tuesday, October 24^th, with a recital by pianist Paul Coriolan Cartianu.

Mrs. Cristina Sârbu, let's remind ourselves, what is the concept of the Tuesday Night Season project?

The Tuesday Night Season project has reached its 15^th season and, as you know, every year we invite young people studying abroad, as well as chamber music groups, to the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum. We did this because from the beginning we wanted to bring back the interest and taste for chamber genre, offering the stage to the, unfortunately, few young chamber music ensembles - trios, quartets, quintets. In the last few years, we have also started to collaborate with Romanian musicians who are studying at music institutions abroad. They send us their best students , so that the Romanian audience can get to know them and perhaps follow their career path. Also, the project serves as a subtle but real competition, comparing the results of Romanian education with that of other countries, which is certainly interesting for both the audience and the musicians.

What can you tell us about the opening recital of the 2023-2024 season?

I say we're opening the 2023-2024 season strong. We have invited the pianist Paul Coriolan Cartianu to the project for the first time, who after graduating from the "George Enescu" High School of Music in Bucharest, continued his studies in California and then returned to Europe at the Mozarteum University,where he got his bachelor's and master's degrees. He is currently a piano teacher at the Innsbruck Conservatory in Austria. The pianist has an impressive list of American and European awards, and the program he proposes is extremely ambitious. It includes the Sonata in B-flat major by Franz Schubert and the Humoresca op. 20 in B-flat major composition by Robert Schumann . The recital will for sure be a special event.

Who are the protagonists of the Tuesday Night Season?

I will be refering to the first three months, so until December. In more detail, the upcoming recital on October 31^st features the extraordinary percussionist Sara Gheorghe, who was born in Arad, graduated from the "Sabin Drăgoi" School of Arts in the city, and then went on to the University of Music and Arts in Vienna where she is currently studying. She has already won many awards and is in high demand by international youth orchestras. Moreover, she performs in many chamber recitals, and I have learnt that in recent years she has also started composing. Her recital will most definitely be spectacular.

By the end of the year in the Tuesday Night Season, you will have the opportunity to listen to the pianist Hermann Cerisha and Haige Trio from the Purcell School, under the guidance of Florian Mitrea from London, then the winners of the international competition "Remember Enescu" edition 2023, the pianist Irina Petrescu, recommended by the Princess Margareta Foundation where she has a scholarship. You will also listen to Mariana Preda, a pan flute player from Holland, pianist Diószegi Benjamin who studies in Salzburg and pianist Cristiana Achim, who comes from London. I hope that I have aroused the interest of your listeners, who may wish to attend these recitals to watch these special young people in the Tuesday Night Season, which is part of the current season of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic.

What do you think is the role of a stage appearance in a recital for a young musician? Is such experience mandatory?

Of course it is mandatory, and the fact that the "George Enescu" Philharmonic offers the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum to these young musicians is an incredibly generous gesture. We have learnt from many of those who have performed with us that having a poster with the logo and the letter head of a philharmonic, especially the countrey's first philarmonic in this case, is extremely important in their recognition. Mentioning it in their CV can open other doors as well.

How does the public receive these meetings with young musicians?

I want to say that things are getting better and better, and after 14 years, I was delighted last year when many of the Tuesday Night Season recitals were sold out. I like to believe that people have noticed our effort in bringing remarkable individuals to the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum, on Tuesday evenings. Yes, they are already well-defined personalities, even though they are young, very interesting and whose future should be bright. I say this thinking that in the Tuesday Night season, Ioana Goicea, Florian Mitrea, Andrei Ioniță, the winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition, have made themselves remarkable. Many young musicians who today are highly regarded in the international music market started in the Tuesday Night Season.