Biography

Romanian Chamber Orchestra is a soul project, born from the desire of Romanian musicians from the Diaspora to represent and promote Romania in the world through art and culture, a “national team of musicians” which consists of some of the most representative Romanian artists which perform under the baton of maestro Cristian Măcelaru and Gabriel Bebeșelea.

By the caliber of its members and the contribution made to the national heritage, the project became in the last years a point of reference for Romanian culture and a cultural ambassador of Romania in the world. The authentic interpretation of the works is interwoven with the extraordinary skill of the musicians performing in our ensembles, offering the public an excellent concert experience. 

Since the first edition, in 2019, it has been a high-profile musical and innovative project. In 2020, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra was the first orchestra in Romania, and one of the first ensembles in Europe, to perform using digital media, with paper scores being replaced by tablets. In 2021, Romanian Chamber Orchestra was the first orchestra in Romania to record a concert using 360-degree technology, using four cameras at a resolution of 5.7K, a recording watched by tens of thousands of spectators around the world, the project being nominated by the Administration of the Romanian National Cultural Fund (AFCN) in the “International Cultural Cooperation” category. The orchestra’s recordings are distributed worldwide through the European Broadcasting Union network, which includes 69 stations in 56 countries, thus reaching some of the world’s most important classical music radio stations such as BBC3, France Musique or SWR, and television stations such as TVR or French 3.

The ensemble’s first compact disc, recorded in 2020 and released in 2021 at Casa Radio Publishing House, entitled “Romanian Chamber Orchestra – Cristian Macelaru – Schubert&Dvořák” received the highest rating from Radio Romania Music Station – “The Golden Sound Library” and was nominated in Romania for “Disc of the Year 2022”. 

The concerts performed by the Romanian Chamber Orchestra during the RCO Tour in June 2023, entitled “Shine your Light”, enjoyed great success in Romania, Switzerland and Germany, the ensemble being cheered by the public for its passionate interpretation of the repertoire, performed with a mastery specific to the best ensembles in the world. The close collaboration with Benedict Klöckner, one of the most remarkable cellists of his generation and winner of the OPUS Klassik 2021, brought a new CD recording realized in collaboration with the Südwestrundfunk (SWR), releasing an exciting live recording of the Antonín Dvořák Cello Concerto. The first presence at the George Enescu International Festival, in September 2023, came as a confirmation of the value of the ensemble.

In August 2024, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra had also a Tour, entitled “Way to Concertgebouw”, and the highlight was represented by the concert which the ensemble had in one of the most important concert halls in the world – Concertgebouw Amsterdam, with a sold-out house and minutes long standing ovations. A CD production was made with works written by the composers George Enescu, Béla Bartók, Carl Filtsch, György Ligeti, Ciprian Porumbescu, Constantin Silvestri, highlighting the multi-cultural Romania. The CD entitled “Sound of Romania” will be released in 2026. 

In January 2025, the Romanian Union of Music Critics, Editors and Producers offered the Excellence Award to the Romanian Chamber Orchestra. In September, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra, together with Maestro Cristian Măcelaru (Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition) and violinist Ioana Cristina Goicea, brought for the first time a concert of the George Enescu International Festival outside Romania’s borders. The concert took place at the Organ Hall in Chișinău in the presence of the President of the Republic of Moldova – Mrs. Maia Sandu, the Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova and a large number of high-ranking officials. 

Over the years, our ensembles collaborated with acclaimed soloists like Simon Trpčeski, Benedict Klöckner, Teo Gheorghiu, Brian Cheng, Carlos Ferreira, Sebastian Bohren, Ioana Cristina Goicea and Alexandru Tomescu.