On May 21st, 2025, Cristina Uruc, the manager of Artexim, came to the Radio România Muzical studio to share some updates regarding the projects organized by Artexim, including Frequenza, which is taking place in Bucharest between May 22nd and 25th, as well as her professional accomplishments beyond her work with Artexim: receiving an honor bestowed by the Italian state and being elected president of the European Association of Artist Managers.

I'd like to start with some good news. Yesterday, on May 20th, you were awarded the Order of the Star of Italy, Knight rank. First of all, congratulations! How did you receive this news?

Thank you very much! It is truly an honor for me to receive this orderthe Star of Italy at the rank of Knightfrom the Italian state, from the Presidency of Italy. It is, in fact, a recognition of my efforts to promote Italian culture and language, and especially Italian music, in Romania and beyond. After the years I spent working in Italy at Collegio Ghislieri, alongside the Ghislieri Choir and Orchestra from Pavia, the tours we undertook together, the programs they brought here to Romania, not only for the Enescu Festival, but also the educational program they carried out with the Barockeri Orchestra of the National University of Music Bucharest in 2015, if I'm not mistaken, or perhaps even 2014 after I returned from Italy, in 2014, the Chei Festival of UNMB opened with Giulio Prandi and Alberto Stevanin on first violin, Alberto Guerrero on cello, in a wonderful concert at Saint Joseph Cathedral, where works by Italian, Neapolitan composers were performed for the first time in Romania. So I was happy at that time to be able to facilitate this project thanks to the connections I had.

On the other hand, there's also my experience with Il Giardino Armonico the tours I've made with them, my involvement in the Enescu Festival, where I assisted Italian orchestras and artists from Italy and also the collaboration with the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Romania and especially with the Italian Cultural Institute, with director Laura Napolitano. Since returning to the country, we've had an excellent collaboration. Together we organized The Year of Puccini, I coordinated the events included in the official Puccini calendar through Artexim, and we organized The Puccini Gala on May 13th, 2024, at the Romanian Athenaeum, with Italian conductor Tito Ceccherini, the Royal Camerata, and two extraordinary soloists from Romania.

So, this bilateral relationship between Italy and Romania is one that I've always tried to reflect both in my personal and professional lifeall these steps have in some way contributed to the recognition of the work I've done in promoting Italian culture in Romania. And so, at the suggestion of Ambassador Alfredo Maria Durante, I was nominated for this distinction.

The Italian state, through President Mattarella, approved it, and thus yesterday's ceremony was organizedan emotional event attended by those closest to me, both family and the people who have been most significant in my career and professional life.

Unfortunately, I couldn't have everyone I wished by my side, but it was very beautiful, very moving, and this award is truly an honor for me.

In fact, I'd like to emphasize one thing. The two ensembles you mentionedGhislieri Choir & Consort and Il Giardino Armonicoare top-tier groups. These are not student orchestras or little-known ensembles; they are internationally renowned, world-class groups. And the fact that members of such ensembles were brought here and performed here is something that shouldn't go unnoticed by anyone.

That's absolutely true. I'd also like to highlight the fact that they were very eager to get involved in the development of young musicians in Romania. We know very well that the field of Baroque music in Romania is still growing. We don't really have a long-standing tradition of Baroque studyand that's also due to our geographic placement in this part of Europe. But that doesn't mean it's a flaw or a shortcoming. It simply means that if we want to move in that direction, we need to grow under the guidance of those who have always worked in that field, right?

And of course, Italian Baroque music has so much to offer the world. The fact that Giulio Prandiwho also recently performed with the Radio Chamber Orchestra came here, again as part of our efforts to foster this Romanian-Italian connection, is significant. We supported both his appearance with the Radio Chamber Orchestra and that of Marta Fumagalli.

Their involvement in training young musicians in the style and technique of Baroque music is truly commendable. I still remember that it wasn't easy to bring them here.They even contributed financially so they could come to Bucharest, stay for a week, and work directly with these young musicians.

So the fact that they genuinely wanted to be here meant a lot for us and it says a lot about who they are.

Il Giardino Armonicotogether with Giovanni Antonini is widely recognized as a legendary ensemble. I truly believe that their recording of Vivaldi'sFour Seasons from the early 90s when Enrico Onofri was the the first violin is iconic, a true reference point for Italian Baroque music and for Vivaldi's work in particular.

There are also recordings by Federico Maria Sardelli with Modo Antiquo who is a specialist in Vivaldi's works. But what Il Giardino Armonico achieved with Vivaldi's music,I don't think that anyone else managed to replicate, not even themselves. It's difficult to recreate the experience they had in the 90s, especially since the ensemble has evolved. They now have Stefano Barneschi as first violin, and that brings something entirely different.He is a different kind of violinist, with a unique tone, a distinctive color that only Il Giardino Armonico knows how to bring to this music.

There's much more that could be said. The relationship between Italian and Romanian musicians goes back a long way. I'll just briefly mention Alfonso Castaldi simply to point out that he was one of the key figures in laying the foundations of the Romanian school of music. But moving beyond music history, I would like to talk a bit about the fact that you've been appointed president of the European Association of Artist Managers. First of all, could you tell us what this association represents and what it involves?

This association was founded in 1947 in Paris, so it has a long and significant history in the field of artist managementparticularly for musicians and classical music performers. It's a Europe-wide association that has included, and continues to include, prominent figures in the world of international artist management. As I've mentioned in various interviews, one of the most well-known membersand I mention her with great pleasureis Eleanor Hope. She's still a very active member and a former president of the association. She is also the mother of the renowned violinist Daniel Hope, who is warmly welcomed by Romanian audiences every time he performs in Bucharest, whether as part of the Enescu Festival or, more recently, during the concert season at the Bucharest Philharmonic. Eleanor Hope was not only the personal assistant of Lord Yehudi Menuhin but also his manager, and after his passing, she became the one who led the Menuhin Trust and Foundation. She has served on the boards of many major international classical music festivals. She is someone with an extraordinary network, and someone from whom I've learnedand continue to learna great deal.

We're also talking about Catherine von Mutius, who is a legendary figure in the world of Baroque orchestra management. We know Jordi Savall very welleach time he came to Romania, it was thanks to Catherine's mediation. The same goes for Marc Minkowski and other major names in the contemporary Baroque scene. She is an incredibly active figure, and again, someone from whom I have a great deal to learn. She is acutely aware of everything happening around the world.

This should really give us something to think about - those of us working in music management and artist representation - because when we represent a musician or an artist, whether it's a musician, actor, or visual artist, we must be fully aware of what's happening globally, on every level: social, political, and geopolitical. All of these factors have a direct impact on concert activity, programming, and festival planning.

I feel very fortunate to have the responsibility of leading the association for the next three years, until 2028. This is the first time Romania holds the presidency of the association.

Artexim is currently the only Romanian agency that is a member of the European Association of Artist Managers. We hope that more Romanian colleagues will soon join usthose who share the same values and principles that the Association upholds, as outlined in its Code of Conduct, developed in collaboration with IAMA, the International Artist Managers' Association. This initiative was supported and developed by previous boards and presidents.

I am succeeding Reda Sidi Boumedine, an artist and musician manager with whom the Radio has also collaborated for one of the Radio Chamber Orchestra's concerts. He brought Andreea Soare to Bucharest for that occasion.

We are also talking about Laurent Delage, who is still the Secretary General of the association and has recently signed Cristina Păsăroiu.

So, the relationship with Romanian artists is very, very strong, and why not, we should also begin to focus on what I like to call "export management," because we already import quite a lot. It would be beneficial, through this opportunity and through the collaborations made possible within the association, to create a pathway for promoting Romanian musicians in concerts abroad chamber concerts or even solo performances with orchestras, as part of international tours.

I'm very glad that the board also includes Catherine von Mutius, as I mentioned earlier, and Zdenka Kluckova from Brno, Czech Republic. We also have Jonas Grunau, the vice president from Grunau und Paulus Artists, and we all owe thanks to Ada Baillon, our executive secretary, who supports us with all things logistical.

Artexim, along with the entire team, will stand behind this initiative, especially in organizing, for the first time in Bucharest, the General Assembly, which will take place in 2026.

Now, since you've brought up concert life, I'd like us to turn our attention to the Frequenza Festival. It begins tomorrow, May 22nd. What should we know about it? What should we expect?

The Frequenza Festival is a new presence in the concert and festival landscape of Bucharest. As you mentioned, between May 22nd and May 25th so over the next four days four concerts will be held in Bucharest under the artistic direction of the renowned trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov and pianist Maria Meerovitch. These are exceptional artists who will take the stage at the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania, to whom we are grateful for hosting the event.

We're talking about David Taylor on bass trombone, Zvi Plesser on cello, Sergio Carolino on tuba, Jing Zhao on cello, and Pavel Berman, who is already known to the Bucharest audience. Kristóf Baráti is also invited, and I believe Enescu Festival audiences will remember him as the one who essentially saved the Camerata Salzburg concert at the Romanian Athenaeum in 2023, when less than 24 hours before the performance Janine Jansen announced she could no longer attend due to health reasons. Kristóf responded quickly to our request, arrived in Bucharest by 1 a.m., was in rehearsals at 10 a.m - the next morning, and performed in the concert that very evening.

So, these are world-class musicians, exceptionally generous artists, because besides the four concerts they will be performing starting tomorrow, they are also offering masterclasses at the National University of Music in Bucharest masterclasses that are open to the public. One already took place yesterday, and more are scheduled for May 24th and 25th. All the details about these masterclasses can be found on the Frequenza Festival website and on the social media channels of Artexim and the Frequenza Festival.

One last question in this regard: Did the idea of organizing these masterclasses - public masterclasses - come from the artists themselves, or was it meant to attract the public and support young artists?

I think there are two components. This was a joint decision. The organizers of the festival are those from Frequenza Sergei Nakariakov and Maria Meerovitch and we are co-organizing it through Artexim. It was a shared idea to open these masterclasses to the public, both to help young musicians get used to performing in front of an audience, to interact with the audience, and also to allow curious and interested people to witness what goes into preparing a young musician, preparing a concert, the study process and then to see the final result by attending the concerts. Because concerts are really just the tip of the iceberg in a musician's life, right? What happens behind the scenes requires a lot of work, dedication, and attention.

The Frequenza Festival starts on May 22nd. Can we talk about the concerts we'll get to hear?

It's wonderful that you're giving me this opportunity. I'm very happy to invite the public to the four concerts of the Frequenza Festival. Each one has a special theme.

On May 22nd, the opening concert will be dedicated to the three great "B" composers of classical music, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. We'll hear Bach, selections from the Goldberg Variations in the string trio arrangement by Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Then we'll listen to Beethoven's Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major and 7 Variations for Piano and Cello in E-flat major.

There's also a very unusual arrangement that no one has heard before a version for piano and flugelhorn, which will be played by Sergei Nakariakov. The flugelhorn is a brass instrument with a sound that lies somewhere between a trumpet and a French horn. It looks a bit like a trumpet… and I invite the public to come see and hear it, because it's quite rare to get the chance to hear this instrument in concert.

The day of May 23rd comes with a repertoire proposal with impressive accents in fact, it's named The Impressions and here the audience will hear a Sonata for Two Violins in A minor by Ysaye, Kodaly's Sonatina for Cello and Piano, and Glazunov's String Quintet in A major. It's a concept concert, we could say Kopfkino, the cinema of the imagination: how we imagine and what we imagine when we listen to music. And everyone will be able to create their own scenario, their own film. So, it's a stimulating and interactive concert.

On Saturday, also at 7 P.M., at the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania, we will hear The Grand Concert. Schumann's Adagio and Allegro for horn and piano, in the same unique arrangement for flugelhorn and piano Martinu's Three Madrigals for violin and viola, Poulenc's Sonata for Horn, Trumpet, and Trombone, arranged for flugelhorn, trombone, and bass trombone again, something quite original and Handel's Passacaglia in Halvorsen's arrangement for violin and cello. But especially at the end, César Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor, a work that has always deeply impressed me. And with every new interpretation, I discover something fresh, something that draws me in.

The fourth day of concerts is, I believe, the most sparkling one, as we'll witness Brass Fusion, as the concert is called - an evening of improvisation performed by some of the greatest brass masters, among whom is the only Romanian musician on the stage of the Frequenza Festival, Sebastian Burneci, trumpeter of the Radio Big Band.

So we're looking forward to seeing you all there. Ticket prices are extremely accessible, and there are free passes available for musicians, teachers, music students, and pupils. You can find all the details on eventim.ro as well as on the Frequenza Festival and Artexim pages.

And since we've spoken about this festival, I don't think I could not ask a few things about the Enescu Festival. I suppose this year's edition comes with many new elements. I'd like us to talk about at least a few of them.

That's right. This year's edition which, as always, is dedicated to Enescu, but this time even more so, as we commemorate 70 years since his passing is an edition that brings several new initiatives aimed at a category of audience we're trying more and more to draw closer: the young public.

For the second time, our main program includes the concert series for families and children at the Odeon Theatre, held on Sundays at 11:00 A.M. There will be four orchestral concerts the fourth being a choral one. The Preludiu Choir will perform playful pieces, music inspired by childhood games. It will be an interactive concert, just like the previous three.

The first concert will be performed by the Sinfonietta Orchestra conducted by Mihnea Ignat. The next two will feature the Ploiesti Philharmonic and the Brasov Philharmonic, who will present illustrated concerts with live drawings by Grégoire Pont, one of the most sought-after French illustrators. These concerts will have special themes: The Story of Enescu, Our Precious Planet, The Story of Babar by Poulenc, and Ma Mère l'Oye. Finally, as mentioned, the Prelude Choir will close the series with the games of childhood.

The second series a complete novelty for the Enescu Festival is the JTI Enescu Immersive Experience at the Mina Museum. There will be four immersive projects, each presented twice so two showings per week. The series opens with a project by Gigi Căciuleanu.
Next comes Alexandra Silocea'sVer Sacrum, featuring a limited-edition Bösendorfer Klimt grand piano a piano with a Klimt painting reproduced on its lid. She will be joined by Patricia Nolz and a French actress as narrator.

Bach in the Jungle is the third project a vibrant fusion of Bach and Piazzolla, brought to life by a Spanish ensemble, featuring a quintet with bandoneon. Leticia Moreno will lead the ensemble. The final piece is titled The Last Piece, a special commission from composer Constantin Basica. He composed this multimedia project entirely on his own from beginning to end and is also handling the immersive spatial design with his team. It's a collaboration with Stanford University, where he is currently studying.So, we invite everyone to come to the Mina Museum it's a new and special project, and we organizers can't wait to experience it ourselves.

And… and the very latest addition is the series of four concerts we'll be organizing at Control Club. The series is called Enescu in Control and will take place on Wednesdays at 10 P.M. We'll be announcing the program soon and it promises to be vibrant and fusion-drivenaiming to bring together both classical and alternative music audiences. This will also be our gathering spot, where artists and music lovers can come together in the evenings after the concerts to relax and enjoy. So, every Wednesday at 10 P.M.!

And we have prepared a surprise. There are two more projects that we will announce very soon, probably the next week in Opera and Ballet Series.

I'm glad to hear about all these news. I have a few questions about the Enescu in Control. I supposethe idea behind is also a part of the same approach maybenot exactly to educate, as that might sound a bit too scholastic but rather to reach out to a younger audience, right?

Yes, absolutely.It's an initiative to reach younger audience through different channels, to show that classical music and the Enescu Festival are for everyone that each person can find a niche that resonates with them. The Enescu Festival has always stood for a certain standard of quality, and we want the public to be assured that this new series, just like the one at the MINA museum, will uphold the same level of excellence. The quality is ultimately guaranteed by the artistic proposals of Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, the festival's artistic director, because it is 100% his vision. Our role is to make sure we bring that vision to life.

We're very happy to be on the same wavelength and to see that the public is responding, and that young people are embracing the proposals we're putting forward. Now, all that remains is to see how they react.

Because I am certain that every venue the Enescu Festival reaches connects with a specific segment of the public, and perhaps from there we can also draw young audience into the concert hall, audiences who can truly appreciate the value of high-quality musical performances. Lately, we've been experiencing an overload of events, concerts after concerts, theatre performances upon theatre performances… Sometimes the public no longer knows what to choose, where to go. And I believe that whenever the Enescu Festival sets a standard, the audience can be certain that what we offer is of the highest artistic quality.

There would be so much more to discuss, I'm sure, but I suggest we stop here,as we've clearly gone beyond the time we originally set for this interview. Cristina Uruc, thank you very much for being here at Radio România Muzical studio!

With great pleasure! I'll always gladly return to the studios of our co-producers for the festival, Radio România, and especially to the studios of Radio România Muzical.

I warmly invite everyone to the concerts that will take place during the Enescu Festival at the Radio Hall. Take a look at the program, we have some truly extraordinary concerts, with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Jussen brothers, with Benjamin Bernheim, Romanian orchestras, international orchestras, the Valenciana. So do ckeck out the lineup at the Radio Hall and come join us at the concerts! Tickets are available at eventim.ro

Thank you so much, Cristina Uruc!