This evening's guest is the young artist, Jan Sekaci. Good evening! Welcome to our studio! I believe it is the first time you've come to the Radio România Muzical studio, isn't that right?

Indeed. Good evening!

Dear Jan Sekaci, you received "The Successors of Musical Romania" scholarship - a scholarship commenced by Radio România Muzical. I would like you to tell us more about the impact it had on you.

First of all, as a recipient of said scholarship, I would like to publicly thank this program. I would have never been here, today, in this studio, and, at the same time, inside so many cars, by means of so many radio broadcasts. It is an important program for Romanian musicians, and it is the only program that can launch a young Romanian musician, unknown to the general public, inexperienced because of their age - not necessarily professionally-wise, but in front of the public.

Would you recommend your generation colleagues to sign up for the competition of this scholarship?

You have nothing to lose! Send a few videos, a short essay and a short introduction about yourselves and that is all.

Nevertheless, the project needs a beginning and an end in order to win. You had a project.

Absolutely. There is also a concert program needed. You need to be well-prepared professionally.

This is very important. And here we are, thanks to this scholarship, tomorrow evening, you are to perform together with the Radio Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Cristian Mandeal. Have you ever collaborated with the maestro Cristian Mandeal?

Yes, I did.

As a soloist?

As a soloist, no. I was part of the orchestras he worked with in various projects. The last one that I remember was the concert, In memoriam Radu Lupu, which took place last year, in December, I believe, at the Romanian Athenaeum.

You went to rehearsals today, didn't you? How was the meeting with the maestro and your collaboration, as a soloist, this time?

It was a truly special meeting. Naturally, we knew one another, but since my position was different - I was a soloist collaborating with a conductor- there was a great sense of responsibility. And for "The Successors of Musical Romania" scholarship… you need to feel well-prepared for a soloist career, to find yourself in front of the public, to know that you are able to do such a thing.

Still, I imagine that the maestro who possesses such experience will support you in working with the orchestra, isn't that so?

Yes. He's being very attentive.

He waits for you and watches you…

Exactly. And I feel free in leading the orchestra. I feel like its leader, from the position of a soloist.

Which reminds me, you need to tell us what you will be performing tomorrow evening.

I will be performing Robert Schumann's Concerto in A minor, Op. 129.

It is a piece that, technically, has no break. Approximately 25 minutes.

Schumann used to say that he never liked concerts where the audience applauds in-between parts. That is why he wrote a full concert without any breaks.

Incidentally, he called this score konzerstuck, not a concert. You are a student at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, in professor Frans Helmerson's class. In Romania, you received guidance from the maestro Marin Cazacu, among others, and you did your master classes at Gautier Capucon's Class of Excellence for three years.

How did the Romanian cello school seem in comparison to the Western one?

Generally, I could say that we have an extraordinarily high level. While studying in Bucharest I had wonderful colleagues who made their appearance on the stage of Sala Radio, or the one of the Romanian Athenaeum. They live in Bucharest and we are actually collaborating for this project.

I know that you are also a member of a contemporary music ensemble, called Boulez. How does cello classic literature get on with the "experiments" of contemporary music?

I am a special case. A bit naughty, I would say. I very much enjoy contemporary works or the ones that feel closer to our period. Moreover, before joining this ensemble, I experimented with works such as Berio - Sequenza XIV or Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher by Dutilleux. I probably have such interests… maybe because I am a part of the new generation, which naturally understands this music.

You won many international awards. I'll only mention the Brahms Contest from 2021. Signing up for the George Enescu International Competition is still possible until the 30^th of May. Will you participate?

I will register, for sure. I'm looking forward to the results. Nowadays, nothing is certain.

Do you have any clues about what you will be performing, were you to pass each phase? Have you given it some thought?

Yes. It depends on the contests that I will take part in. I would very much like to sign up for the Munich ARD Contest. The programs are different, but there are still some pieces that can be performed in both. That being said, it very much depends on the outcome of my registration.

What are your plans after tomorrow evening, after the Sala Radio concert? What does Jan Sekaci do after the end of tomorrow evening's concert?

Jan Sekaci will prepare his orchestra excerpts for a contest for the student position at the Orchestra Academy in Staatskapelle. I am waiting for other sign ups to the other orchestras in Berlin: Philharmoniker, Konzerthaus and DSO. Apart from the orchestra excerpts, I have a second concert in Romania, in April, with the Philharmonic in Sibiu, where I'll be performing Shostakovich's No. 1 Concerto - again, a debut, in Sibiu. And… I'll continue my studies. I would like to take advantage of this formidable academy where I'm studying for as long as I can.

Jan Sekaci, I would like to thank you for your presence in our studio. I wish you luck! We will be listening to you here, at Radio România Muzical, live from Sala Radio. We will be waiting for you here, in our studio, to tell us more about your next steps towards your future career. A very promising one, with no doubt.