Do not miss an exquisite vocal recital and the presentation of the Romanian Glyndebourne!
The Romanian Cultural Institute in London is happy to dedicate the April recital of the Enescu Concerts Series to celebrating Romanian vocal art. This unmissable event is organised in partnership with Salbek Opera Festival and Masterclass, a true Romanian Glyndebourne Festival, whose fourth edition will take place at Salbek Castle between 18 and 23 August this year. The concert features two soloists of the Romanian National Opera and Operetta Houses, soprano Rodica Ștefan and tenor Adrian Petre, accompanied on the piano by Ioana Maxim.
The event also features the screening of a short documentary on the 2025 edition of Salbek Opera Festival and Masterclass and introductions by Ana Maria Mihăescu, President of the Salbek Castle Association, and musicologist Oltea Șerban Pârâu. Salbek Opera Festival and Masterclassis a unique initiative in Romania's cultural landscape, an excellent promoter of cultural tourism.
Programme:
J. Strauss II - "Klänge der Heimat", Rosalinda's csárdás from the opera Die Fledermaus
G. Verdi- "La donna è mobile", the aria of the duke from the opera Rigolettoand "Mercè, dilette amiche”, aria from the opera I Vespri Siciliani
G. Puccini - "O soave fanciulla", duet from the opera La Bohèmeand "Che gelida manina“, Rodolfo's aria from the opera La Bohème
G. Enescu- "Frauenberuf", from the cycle 14 Songs on lyrics by Carmen Sylva; 7 Chansons de Clément Marot, Op. 15: „Estrene à Anne” and „Languir me fais”
F. Donceanu - "Bâlci în Aldebaran”, from the cycle Beadson lyrics by Tudor Arghezi
F. Lehár - "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz”, aria from the operetta Das Land des Lächelnsand "Lippen schweigen", duet from the operetta Die Lustige Witwe
V. Herbert- "Art is calling for me”, from the musical The Enchantress
Rodica Ștefan graduated from the National University of Music in Bucharest, specialising in classical voice. In 2013, after winning First Prize at the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Interpretation Competition in Cluj, she was awarded a scholarship to study in Salzburg at the Salzburg Vocal Academy. Over the years, she has attended numerous masterclasses with artists such as Nelly Miricioiu, Leontina Văduva and Mariana Nicolesco, as well as programmes including Canto Vocal, the International Salbek Opera Masterclass and ICon Arts. She made her operatic debut in 2014 as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanniat the Romanian Opera in Craiova. Her repertoire includes roles such as Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Micaela (Carmen), Liù (Turandot) and Musetta (La bohème), performed at the “Nae Leonard” National Theatre of Opera and Operetta in Galați. Operetta has played a central role in her career, with performances as Hanna Glahttp://Puritani.Atwari (The Merry Widow), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Saffi (The Gypsy Baron), and others by composers including Lehár, Strauss II and Kálmán. Musical theatre has also been an important challenge. In 2019, she debuted as Lilli Vanessi/Katharina in Kiss Me, Kate (Cole Porter), followed in 2021 by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Frederick Loewe). This role earned critical acclaim at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, where she is a soloist. A defining role remains Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed in a recent production at the National Opera Bucharest.
Tenor Andrei Petre is a soloist at the National Opera Bucharest. He graduated from the National University of Music Bucharest, completing his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in classical singing in 2019 and 2021 under the guidance of Professor Ionel Voineag. Following his studies, he was selected as a scholarship holder for the Internationale OpernWerkstatt – Festival der jungen Stimmen in Switzerland, where he worked with renowned conductors and stage directors, further developing his stage experience. He made his debut at the National Opera Bucharest in 2022 as Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco, and in 2023 was invited to the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca to perform Arturo in Bellini’s IPuritani. At the National Opera Bucharest, he regularly performs leading roles from the Italian and German repertoire, including Alfredo (La Traviata), the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Rodolfo (La bohème), Tebaldo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte). His concert activity has led to collaborations with major Romanian philharmonic orchestras, including the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest, as well as orchestras in Ploiești, Brașov, Iași, Bacău, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Craiova, and Timișoara. Internationally, he has performed in major European cultural centres such as Vienna (Musikverein), Zurich, Bern, Basel and Naples. His repertoire also includes major symphonic-vocal works, including Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. Alongside his stage career, he continues to expand his repertoire with roles such as Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and Lensky (Eugene Onegin). He has received several important awards, including the Grand Prize at the “Paul Constantinescu” National Singing Competition (2018), Best Young Performer at the Romanian Lied Competition (2019), and the Grand Prize at the “Ionel Perlea” International Singing Competition (2025).
Ioana Maxim is a répétiteur at the National Opera Bucharest. She graduated from the National University of Music Bucharest, where she studied under the distinguished pianist Dan Grigore. Upon completing her studies, she received one of the awards granted by the “Prince Paul of Romania” Foundation to the top five graduates. She is a prizewinner at several national and international competitions in the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. In 1995, she was appointed assistant at the National University of Music Bucharest. Ioana Maxim has enjoyed an extensive concert career, collaborating with renowned conductors such as Petre Sbârcea, Emanuel Elenescu and Ovidiu Bălan, and performing with the philharmonic orchestras of Bacău, Ploiești and Sibiu. She has appeared in chamber recitals both in Romania and abroad, including in Germany, Italy and Spain. In February 2012, she gave a chamber recital in the “Arturo Toscanini” Foyer of La Scala Theatre in Milan, alongside artists of the National Opera Bucharest.
ABOUT SALBEK OPERA FESTIVAL AND MASTERCLASS
On this occasion, the Salbek Opera Festival and Masterclass are being presented outside Romania for the first time. The decision to partner with the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and to showcase this truly remarkable Romanian cultural phenomenon in the capital of the United Kingdom is far from accidental. Firstly, opera enthusiasts in the UK are well acquainted with the tradition of “country house opera”, most notably exemplified by Glyndebourne in East Sussex, a model also followed by Garsington in Oxfordshire, Longborough in the Cotswolds, and Grange Park in Surrey. The Salbek Opera Festival is already shaping its own identity, drawing inspiration from these leading British opera festivals. Secondly, the Salbek Castle estate, a Grade A listed historic monument, was visited in 2024 by the distinguished British botanist John Akeroyd, who provided invaluable consultancy to the estate’s administrators. Furthermore, the current form of the historic garden, which also includes a sculpture park, is the result of collaboration with the renowned British landscape designer Kim Wilkie. Thus, both the Salbek estate and castle, as well as the exceptional cultural experience they host, are deeply inspired by the British model.
When: 02 Apr 2026, 19:00 – 21:00
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH, UK
Book here HERE
