The American Romanian Festival celebrates its 20th-anniversary season with a wonderful collaboration with the University of Michigan Residential College and the Stearns Collection. The Lecture-Recital will feature Romanian folk tunes for cimbalom as well as other arrangements by virtuoso cimbalom player Alexandru Șura, who will also speak about the art of cimbalom playing.
The American Romanian Festival celebrates its 20th-anniversary season with an evening of unique music by Enescu and other Romanian composers. Also featured are works for cimbalom, including a recent commission by composer Colin Martin for string quartet and cimbalom. Enjoy an evening of lyrical lines, dynamic and punctuated rhythms, and Romanian flair.
The American Romanian Festival celebrates its 20th-anniversary season with an evening of works centered around travel that’s sure to cure the wanderlust in us all. First on the program is a recently commissioned piece by Ionica Pop, Impresii din România, that reflects the joy of celebration and the need for human communion and peace through music. In The Seven Dreams of Frida Kahlo for Clarinet and String Quartet, composer Ovidiu Marinescu takes us on an imaginary journey of dreams, from Mayan ritual dances to mariachi music to bebop jazz—which Frida Kahlo heard in New York in her travels with partner Diego Rivera—to an Arabic dream and pagan dance with Russian flair. Lastly, Steve Reich’s Different Trains for String Quartet and Pre-Recorded Performance Tape expresses the basic idea that carefully chosen speech recordings can generate musical materials for musical instruments. The piece is inspired by the composer’s childhood: When he was only 1 year old, Reich’s parents separated. His mother moved to Los Angeles while his father remained in New York. He traveled back and forth by train frequently between New York and Los Angeles from 1939 to 1942, accompanied by the governess. Different Trains is a reflection of Reich’s realization that as a Jew, had he been in Europe during those years, he easily could have been riding a very different kind of train.
Join the American Romanian Festival for Romanian Musical Colors, an intimate chamber music concert with Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians. The program features Ionica Pop’s Impresii din România, Theodor Grigoriu’s On the River Argeș, Ciprian Porumbescu’s Ballad, and Ion Dumitrescu’s String Quartet in C Major No.1.
Join the American Romanian Festival for an intimate chamber music evening featuring Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians. From Afar: Quartets by Grigoriu, Smetana, and More offers a unique blend of tradition and innovation, including Ionica Pop’s new commission Impresii din România, Theodor Grigoriu’s folk-inspired On the River Argeș, Ciprian Porumbescu’s Ballad arranged for string quartet, and Bedřich Smetana’s evocative String Quartet in E Minor, “From My Life.” Experience music that bridges cultures with heartfelt nostalgia and bold expression.
Join the American Romanian Festival and the Polish Institute of Culture & Research for an inspiring afternoon with award-winning pianist Tetiana Shafran, winner of the 2019 Olga Kern International Piano Competition. This captivating recital showcases a rich and expressive program spanning Romantic and early modern masterworks. The performance features Beethoven’s beloved “Moonlight” Sonata, Lysenko’s poignant Elegy, Busoni’s virtuosic Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Chopin, Enescu’s lyrical Pavana, Op. 10, and concludes with Chopin’s powerful Sonata No. 3.