Every year, the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania awards, in a gala, the most valuable creations in the field of music for the previous year, and since the last edition the event is held in the form of a performance. This was also the case last night at the Bucharest National Opera, when the Union awarded its winners in a musical ambience performed by the Opening Theory duo of George Păiș and Alex Mușat.

The secretaries of the Union's sections and sub-sections took turns on stage, giving the Laudatio to the winners and handing out the diplomas. The prizes of the Musicology section were offered by the composer and musicologist OlguțaLupu; in the Systematics category the prize went to Gheorghe Duțică for the book entitled "A sound labyrinth. Refuges, respite, re-foundations".In the Historiography section, the prize was awarded to Valentina Sandu-Dediu, coordinator of the volume "Histories and Ideologies: the Bucharest Philharmonic (1868-2018)", while in the Publicity category the award went to our colleague Monica IsăcescuLup, for her entire activity last year, from which three publications were highlighted: "The Madrigal Choir in the Securitate Archives. Tours in the U.S.A.", respectively "Resistance through carols" and the volume "In memoriam Radu Lupu".

"It was a team effort. My merit was that of coordination and I had exceptional colleagues. The greatest joy is when I see my former disciples alongside me, launched into this - not very spectacular - profession of musicologist with passion and humour. That's a great thing! And, of course, it's also a tribute to the departed generations. For example, to Mrs. Elena Zottoviceanu." - Valentina Sandu-Dediu

"I felt privileged from the start when Valentina Sandu Dediu proposed me to collaborate in the interviews for this volume because I had the opportunity to talk to a number of exceptional personalities of Romanian musical life, personalities directly linked to the history of the George Enescu Philharmonic. And for me, this privilege has also turned into an enormous personal gain because, by talking face to face with these people, I have discovered them beyond the stage, I have discovered their thoughts, the feelings they felt as they told their story. Somehow, at the end, I had the feeling - and Valentina Sandu Dediu confirmed it - that this part of the interviews gives a very human and vivid component to the volume, which will make the readers discover some more nuances, very important, about the history of the George Enescu Philharmonic, beyond the very important biographical data as well." - Ioana Marghita

"This award is certainly the best moment of my work so far and I am particularly honoured that the Musicology Office of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists Union has decided to award me this distinction. My work since 2023 has been mainly on two levels. Firstly, a research in the CNSAS archives on the activity of the Madrigal National Chamber Choir in the pre-1989 period, a research that brought me great satisfaction because I managed to establish certain connections between the limitations that the communist regime had imposed, the involvement of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the repertoire and cultural diplomacy strategies of the conductor Marin Constantin. The second important chapter was the publication of the volume "In memoriam Radu Lupu", which I coordinated together with my colleague ȘtefanCostache - a necessary and natural gesture, which comes to pay homage to the memory of this extraordinary musician, to keep him in our memory, all of us, through a portrait made from interviews given by his lifelong friends and collaborators. Of course, my thanks go to the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania, to the manager of the Madrigal National Chamber Choir, Emil Pantelimon, and to all of you, my colleagues at Radio România Muzical, whom I have always felt close to." - Monica Isăcescu Lup

The prize in the Didactic Subsection went to the composer Vlad RăzvanBaciu, author of "Cold fire" for bassoon solo, and the prize for brass band music was awarded to Marius Firca, colonel in the General Inspectorate of Military Music. Awards for vocal music including large choral works and vocal miniatures (lieder) were given to Marcel OctavCostea for "Adieu tristesse" for mixed choir and piano and to Grigore Cudalbu, author of "The pink tulip" for mezzo-soprano and piano. The winners in the jazz-pop section were FlorentinRăducanu, CătălinTîrcolea and HoriaMoculescu. The Cluj Branch Prize went to the young composer Török-GyurkóÁron for his work "Apogée". The Instrumental Music and Multimedia Section awards were then presented. In this category, the awards went to the composers Diana Rotaru, author of "Hannya for Nō voice and string quartet" and IrinelAnghel, for "That journey in which" and Sebastian Androne Nakanishi, for the piece "O.K" for orchestra.

"It surprised me very much and I feel proud to be with the teachers who are dear to me, who formed me. Yes, it's a huge responsibility to have my name out there. It's inspired me to write more." - Sebastian Androne

The highlight of the gala at the Bucharest Opera was the awarding of the Grand Prize, which went to composer Ulpiu Vlad for his entire musical creative activity.

"It is a special prize, it is the Union's grand prize and, indeed, it must be taken by those who first and foremost feel that they are fulfilled and that they are doing truly exceptional things. There followed these beautiful words from friends and collaborators... And, of course, it's a good thing because, each time, they start with a different will." - Ulpiu Vlad

"I think it was good. We prepared very thoroughly so as not to bore the audience and to find a dynamic for the whole show. Because this was a second idea, to create a show in which to bring to the fore valuable works, composers, important personalities of Romanian musical culture who talk about their creative experience and, on the other hand, on the part of the audience, to have a feedback, an understanding of the musical way of today. The pieces are very diverse and it's only natural. We're used to this format. We are a Union in which we have very many sections, very different sections, very different music, but the section offices do their work, listen to the works that are proposed by the authors, make a selection and then vote in secret. They have brought forward works, as I said, valuable works of the moment." - Dan Dediu, President of the Romanian Union of Composers and Musicologists.