Remy Franck being interviewed by radio and TV journalists

Cluj-Napoca will host, for the first time in Romania, the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA). The announcement was made today, during a press conference held in Cluj-Napoca. The Transylvania State Philharmonic will host this landmark event in the classical music world, which will take place on April 9, 2027, in the Héritage Hall of the Gheorghe Dima National Academy of Music.

Alongside the Philharmonic’s representatives, manager Silvia Sbârciu, PhD and deputy director Erna Weghofer Vad, the press conference was attended by Rémy Franck – journalist and chairman of the ICMA jury, one of the most influential voices in the European music press; David Zsoldos – founder and CEO of Papageno, a leading Hungarian publication and ICMA jury member; Cristina Comandașu – manager of Radio România Muzical and ICMA jury member, actively engaged in promoting Romanian and international musical values; Cristina Uruc – manager of ARTEXIM (the institution organizing the George Enescu Festival and Competition) and president of the European Association of Artist Managers (AEAA), with extensive experience in cultural management, and Vákár István-Valentin, vice-president of the Cluj County Council.

Vákár István-Valentin, vice-president of the Cluj County Council, Silvia Sbârciu, Manager of the Transylvania State Orchestra, Rémy Franck, chairman of the ICMA jury, Cristina Comandașu, Manager of Radio România Muzical and ICMA jury member, & Cristina Uruc, manager of ARTEXIM (the institution organizing the George Enescu Festival and Competition)

The 2027 event will bring to Cluj outstanding award winners and representatives of the international music industry, in one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural venues.

Answering questions from the press, Rémy Franck, President of ICMA, emphasized: “We are very delighted to have the ‘Transylvania’ State Philharmonic Orchestra as our partner for this event. Cluj-Napoca is a city with a rich multicultural musical tradition and a vibrant musical life. We are especially happy to hold the Gala in the new Héritage Hall, a modern and beautiful venue with state-of-the-art acoustics.”

Remy Franck being interviewed by radio and TV journalists

The Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra is the resident ensemble of this exceptional hall, within the National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca. With more than 1,000 seats, the hall will be inaugurated this very evening with an extraordinary concert by the Philharmonic’s Choir and Orchestra, under the baton of both principal conductor Cristian Mandeal and conductor emeritus Lawrence Foster, joined by soloists Anita Hartig – soprano, Cristina Damian – mezzo-soprano, Marius Vlad Budoiu – tenor, and Mihai Damian – baritone. Notably, Héritage Hall is the largest concert hall built in Romania since 1989. Designed by architect Cristian Mihăescu, the hall is a multifunctional space for symphonic, opera, ballet, choral, and chamber concerts.

Cristina Comandașu, manager of Radio România Muzical and ICMA jury member, added: “From the newest and only concert hall built in Romania since 1989, the Héritage Hall of the ‘Gheorghe Dima’ National Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, on April 9, 2027, a gala concert will resonate, performed by an internationally acclaimed Romanian orchestra – the Cluj Philharmonic, the only Romanian orchestra whose discographic productions have been released internationally in recent years.”

The ICMA Gala, which Ms. Comandașu described as “a dream come true for me”, is at the same time a source of pride for Romanian culture and an opportunity for collaboration among several Romanian musical and media institutions. The media outreach dimension of such an event is of great importance.

Ms. Comandașu explained: “The gala concert will be broadcast live by Radio România Muzical and will also be offered live to Radio România Muzical’s partners within the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). Alongside Radio România Muzical, TVR, through TVR Cluj and TVR Cultural, will bring the video version into the homes of all Romanians, as well as to millions of households worldwide, through the collaboration with Deutsche Welle.”

ICMA – a celebration of excellence in classical music – will take place on April 9, 2027, in Cluj-Napoca. The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) were established in 2010 by members of the jury of the former MIDEM Classical Awards.

Currently, the jury is composed of music critics from 17 different countries, representing 20 print magazines, websites, and radio stations: Andante (Turkey), Crescendo (Belgium), Das Orchester (Germany), Deutsche Welle (Germany), Gewandhaus Radio (Germany), IMZ (Austria), Kulmag (Liechtenstein), Musica (Italy), Musik & Theater (Switzerland), Opera (UK), Papageno (Hungary), Pizzicato (Luxembourg), Polskie Radio Chopin (Poland), Radio 100.7 (Luxembourg), Radio Klassik Stephansdom (Austria), Radio România Muzical (Romania), ResMusica (France), Rondo Classic (Finland), Scherzo (Spain), and Unison (Croatia).