Festival History

The “Elena Teodorini” International Festival stems from the initiative of a bunch of enthusiasts and educated servants of the marvellous lyrical art, aiming at providing a genuine homage to the great world-renowned soloist and guide of young vocal talents – Elena Teodorini.(1857-1926)

The festival aims at becoming an open bridge to the world, to the international music world. For various decades, such opening could not find a proper environment. This region’s powerful cultural tradition triggered the search for new means to promote genuine musical values and focus on interesting actions, that should enrich and extend our spiritual existence, coordinating large-scale artistic events in a European cultural context.

This festival helps uncover the genuine availability of the Romanian school of canto, emblematically represented by the Craiova-born Elena Teodorini, among many other illustrious names, also stimulating the proliferation of vocal arts within the much more ample context of the European Union.

The Elena Teodorini International Festival aims at honouring the memory of the spiritual patron of the Romanian Opera of Craiova and is a highly important cultural event of our city, along with the Oltenia Philharmonic’s Musical Craiova Festival and the Shakespeare International Festival of the National Theatre of Craiova.

The activities performed within the thirteen editions of the festival provided the public of Craiova and specialists with the best acts of the national and European lyrical area: representative shows with a genuine value, performed and held by renowned artists from Romania and abroad, ranging from established interprets (vocal soloists, ballet soloists and actors) to world-famous directors, scenographers and choreographers: George Zaharescu, Matsumoto Miwako (Japan), Gianfranco Pastine (Italy), Nicolae Urziceanu, Nicolae Andreescu, Emil Iuraşcu, Eleonora Enăchescu, Vasile Martinoiu, Maria Slătinaru Nistor, Florin Fărcaş, Daniela Bruera (Italy), Paolo Deanesi (Italy), Viorel Gomboşiu, Pompei Hărăşteanu, Mihai Ungureanu, Florin Diaconescu, Sorina Alb-Gaşpar, Lucia Cicoară, Yoshiyuki Tanigawa (Japan), Alexandru Kopeczi, Cristiana Popescu, Iuliu Mare, Iulia Chircoşa, Nicolae Busuioc, Ştefan Hathazi, Gheorghe Mogoşan, Sorin Drăniceanu, Stelian Negoescu, Cristina Simionescu, Gabriel Alexandrescu, Emilian Barteş, Boris Materinco (Moldova), Valentina Calistru, Corneliu Calistru, Leonardo Quadrini (Italy), Gaetano Soliman (Italy), Giuseppe Visciglia (Italy), Veronica Fizeşan, Sever Barnea, Mircea Sâmpetrean, Mirela Zafiri, Gabriela Hazarian, Ionel Voineag, Teodora Ciucur, Pier Giorgio Calabria (Italy), Gheorghe Roşu, Ştefan Ignat, Ivanka Ninova (Bulgaria), Tamas Ferkay (Austria), Nadejda Babinzeva (Russia), Cosmin Marcovici, Isabelle Radigon (France), Adrian Mărcan, Jurg Bredebuhl (Germany), Vadim Munster (Germany), Ivan Konsulov (Bulgaria), Marta Nemes, Vicenţiu Ţăranu, Tatiana Spiridonova (Bulgaria), Marius Ţeicu, Silvia Kerim, Migry Avram Nicolau, Antonio Sarnelli de Sylva (Italy), Voicu Enăchescu, Francisc Valkay, Gunther Mayr (Germany), Bertha Granados (Mexico), Leonard Dumitriu, Carlo Prato (Italy), Joan Grimalt (Spain) Marius Hristescu, Modest Cichirdan, Florian-George Zamfir, Lucia Millan Barranco (Spain), Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Diana Țugui, Rareș Zaharia (France), Adriana Dumitriu, François-Robert Girolami (France), Francesco Ommassini (Italy), Ioan Cherata, Cristian Mogoșan, Arabela Tănase, Alina Rece, Alexandru Iosub, Carmen Roibu, Dragana Radakovic (Serbia), Nicoleta Colceiar, Gheorghe Stanciu, Marius Budoiu, Florin Ormenișan, Răsvan Drăgănescu, Renata Vari, Nikola Kitanovski (Serbia), Jangwon Seo (South Korea), Inga Jakhutashvili (Georgia).

The 1st edition of the festival took place during June 16 – July 11, 1992, on the scene of the “Elena Teodorini” Lyrical Theatre and the following shows were performed: Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana”, Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, Gioacchimo Rossini’s “Overtures, arias and duets from operas”, Gioacchimo Rossini’s vocal-symphonic “Stabat mater” (first audition), Gioacchimo Rossini’s opera buffa “The Barber of Seville” (premiere).

The 2nd edition took place 4 years later, during October 3-28, 1996 and provided music enthusiasts from Craiova with the opportunity of watching Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida”, Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca”, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci”, Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, Boris Asafyev’s ballet “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”, Leo Delibes’ ballet “Coppelia”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco”.

The 3rd edition took place on the following year, from November 10 to November 22, 1997, when the public of Craiova could watch Gioacchimo Rossini’s opera buffa “The Barber of Seville”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci”.

The 4th edition. After a 5 year recess, the festival tradition is resumed during October 14-30, 2002, with the following shows: Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca”, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” (premiere), Giuseppe Verdi’s vocal-symphonic “Messa da Requiem”, Carl Orff’s cantiones profane “Carmina Burana” and the closing “Festival Gala”, with arias, duets and overtures from famous operas.

The 5th edition of the festival developed during October 13-26, 2003, including the following performances: Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, an Extraordinary Concert of the “Oltenia” Philharmonics of Craiova (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem), Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco”, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” (premiere), a Classical Ballet Show of the Tokyo-based Grazia Ballet company and a Choral Concert of Religious Music within the “Madona Dudu” Bishop Cathedral.

The 6th edition, from October 14 to November 4, 2004, provided the public of Craiova with the following performances: Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” (premiere), Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana”, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci”, Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”, a Choral Concert of Religious Music and, a premiere for the “Elena Teodorini” Festival, an operetta performance: Ralph Benatzky’s “The White Horse Inn”.

The 7th edition of the “Elena Teodorini Festival (October 3-20, 2005) includes for the first time a wide range of performance styles, such as opera (Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor”), operetta (Johann Strauss II’s “The Gypsy Baron”), and the acclaimed musical for children (Laurentiu Profeta’s “Peter Pan”). The festival also included other two performances: Carl Orff’s cantiones profane “Carmina Burana” and an “Opera Night”, with arias, duets and overtures from famous operas.

The 8th edition took place between October 5 and October 21, 2006, including Giuseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff”, Marius Teicu’s musical for children “The Sleeping Beauty”, Gaetano Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” and Franz von Suppe’s operetta “Boccaccio”. Like its previous edition, the festival marks a new premiere, inviting, for the first time, a whole choir for the performance of a choral concert: the “Preludiu” Choir of Bucharest. The suggestively entitled “Opera Gala”, already a tradition, was reprised at the end of the festival.

The 9th edition took place during October 3-18, 2007 and provided music enthusiasts with five shows: Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” (a new premiere directed by Tamas Ferkay – Austria), Johann Strauss II’s operetta “Die Fledermaus”, Florimond Herve’s operetta “Mamzelle Nitouche” (premiere), Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann” (entirely performed by the Opera of Brasov) and the “Opera Gala” at the end.

The 10th edition (jubilee) took place during September 27 – October 13, 2008 and proposed the following shows: Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” (premiere), “Spanish Fiesta” (an extraordinary music and dance show), Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s opera buffa “La serva padrona” (performed by Solisti di Napoli – Italy), “Love Hospital” (national arias and romances by the mezzo-soprano Oana Andra, accompanied by the pianist Alexandru Petrovici). The festival ended with a top-flight show by the National Opera of Plovdiv (Bulgaria): Giuseppe Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra”.

The 11th edition took place during October 1-14, 2009, proposing the following shows: Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” (premiere), the Opera Gala, Gaetano Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale”, “El amor” (dance show) and “Dance with me” (dance show).

The 12th edition took place from September 29 to October 19, 2011 and was opened by Bela Bartok’s opera “Bluebeard’s Castle” (full show performed by the Hungarian Opera of Cluj Napoca). Other performances: Gaetano Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” (performed by the “Simfonietta” State Philharmonics of Vidin, Bulgaria), Franz Lehar’s operetta “The Merry Widow”, Marius Teicu’s musical “Little Dorothy” (premiere) and Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme”.

The 13th edition. The most recent edition of the “Elena Teodorini” International Festival took place between October 10 and November 14, 2013 and was dedicated to the Giuseppe Verdi Bicentennial, as it was opened on the very day of birth of the great composer, with the premiere of “Othello”. This has been the most fruitful edition of the festival, including a Session of Scientific Lectures entitled “Giuseppe Verdi – 200 Years from his Birth”, Laurentiu Profeta’s musical for children “Peter Pan”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, the French Music Night (performed by the Symphonic Orchestra of the Oltenia Philharmonics), Dumitru Capoianu’s musical for children “Cinderella”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “A Masked Ball”, “Good evening, Mr Wilde!” (a musical comedy after Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, music by Alexandru Iosub), Marius Teicu’s musical for children “Little Dorothy”, Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco”, the Maria Callas Opera Gala, the Elena Teodorini International Singing Contest – inaugural edition and Josef Bayer’s ballet “The Fairy Doll”.

14th Edition. Over six weeks, from October 10 to November 21, 2015, the festival offered music lovers a rich programme of performances and events, providing numerous opportunities to experience leading names in the world of opera and opera productions presented for the first time on the stages of Craiova and Râmnicu Vâlcea. For its 14th edition, the festival welcomed four opera companies from Europe - from Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia and the Republic of Moldova - to perform on the opera stage in Craiova.

A major highlight for Craiova’s opera audiences was P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, presented in a production by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Chișinău. Audiences were also treated to distinctive productions of W. A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), performed by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belgrade, and, for the first time, G. Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), performed by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Sofia.

The programme was further enriched by A. Adam’s Giselle, performed by the ballet company of the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Chișinău.

One of the festival’s most prestigious guests was Theater Magdeburg, which brought The Trial to Craiova, marking the opera’s first performance in Romania. The work was commissioned and co-produced by Music Theatre Wales, the Royal Opera London, Theater Magdeburg and Scottish Opera, with performance rights held by Dunvagen Music Publishers, New York. Composed by renowned American composer Philip Glass, with a libretto by Christopher Hampton based on Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial received its world premiere in autumn 2014. It was presented to Craiova audiences the following year, with Johnny Herford in the leading role of Josef K.

The festival’s Romanian guests included the Madrigal National Chamber Choir, with a Chamber Concert; the George Enescu Foundation, presenting Oedipe Explained to Everyone; All’s Choir and Ballet, with The World Map on the Musical Staff; the Ion Dumitrescu Philharmonic of Râmnicu Vâlcea, presenting The School for Wives in Râmnicu Vâlcea; the Oltenia Philharmonic of Craiova, with an Opera Gala; the Marin Sorescu National Theatre of Craiova, presenting The Clever Girl; and the Colibri Theatre for Children and Young People of Craiova, with The Wizard of Oz.

Audiences also had the opportunity to see six productions by the Romanian Opera Craiova once again: the operas L’Elisir d’Amore, Otello and Don Giovanni; the operettas Viennese Blood and Sylvia; and the children’s ballet The Fairy Doll.

The programme also featured the Elena Teodorini International Singing Competition, which reached its second edition.

15th Edition. From 1 October to 12 November 2017, the festival presented a major jubilee edition celebrating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Elena Teodorini. The programme brought together European and national productions, alongside some of the most beloved performances from Craiova.

The “Maria Bieșu” National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Chișinău presented two performances in Craiova: P. I. Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades and his celebrated ballet The Nutcracker. Another distinguished guest was the National Theatre of Novi Sad, Serbia, which brought Omnibus Opera to Craiova, featuring three short works: G. C. Menotti’s The Telephone, S. Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, and P. Hindemith’s There and Back. The prestigious Italian dance company Skaramacay Art Factory also made its Romanian debut at the festival, presenting Haeretica for Skaramacay.

The festival’s Romanian guests included the “Regina Maria” Theatre of Oradea, which presented J. Stein’s musical Fiddler on the Roof, and the Oltenia Philharmonic of Craiova, with a Symphonic Concert.

Audiences also had the opportunity to revisit six productions by the Romanian Opera Craiova: G. Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, at the time the company’s most recent premiere; Carmen – Rock Version, also by G. Bizet, which had been the major musical event of 2016 in Oltenia; W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni; G. Verdi’s Don Carlo; and the operettas The Gypsy Baron by J. Strauss II and Sylvia by E. Kálmán.

For this edition, the Romanian Opera Craiova prepared two special productions of particular significance to the world of opera. Classic & Jazz featured the renowned Alessandro Quarta Quintet from Italy, together with the Romanian Opera Craiova Chamber Orchestra. The programme also included Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, presented in concert and featuring one of the leading names in the international opera world, British tenor Ian Storey, performing in Romania for the first time.

The vocal masterclass, held from 3 to 10 November 2017, paid tribute to Elena Teodorini’s dedication to teaching and her pedagogical vocation. It was led by Nicoleta Ardelean, a soprano whose career has been established on the international stage.

16th Edition. The Craiova Romanian Opera opened its 2019-2020 season with the 16th edition of the Elena Teodorini International Festival, which took place over more than five weeks, from October 11 to November 16, 2019, across performance venues in Craiova, Râmnicu Vâlcea and Bucharest.

The festival opened with the first edition of The Artist Awards (October 11–12), organised by Big Ideas and the Romanian Opera Craiova. The event brought together hundreds of artists and thousands of spectators in Mihai Viteazul Square. Conceived as a celebration of Romania’s most-streamed and widely listened-to artists, the show also featured a distinctive artistic contribution from the Romanian Opera Craiova, in partnership with the Oltenia Philharmonic of Craiova. The programme included a series of original pop-symphonic performances featuring soloists from the Romanian Opera Craiova, as well as the Romanian Opera Craiova Orchestra and Choir and the Oltenia Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, under the musical direction of conductor Dumitru Cârciumaru.

The guest company at this edition was the Varna Opera of Bulgaria, which presented two major premieres for Craiova audiences: Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma (October 28) and Leonard Bernstein’s musical West Side Story (October 29).

In addition, dancers performing on the stage of the renowned La Scala in Milan presented Delirium, a programme of classical and contemporary dance, on November 3.

The festival programme also included concerts and performances by cultural institutions from the Oltenia region and Bucharest. The Ion Dumitrescu Philharmonic of Râmnicu Vâlcea presented the vocal-symphonic concert Gloria on October 14, featuring works by W. A. Mozart. The Romanian Opera Craiova also performed the musical comedy Where is Dad on the stage of the Râmnicu Vâlcea Philharmonic on October 21.

In Bucharest, the Excelsior Theatre presented, under the auspices of the festival, Leonard Bernstein’s celebrated musical The Addams Family on October 25, in its most recent production, directed by Răzvan Mazilu.

Continuing the long-standing tradition of collaboration among Craiova’s cultural institutions, the Colibri Theatre presented Chirița in Iași on October 11 — a provocative production that brings Vasile Alecsandri’s celebrated play into a contemporary setting. The Marin Sorescu National Theatre presented Operation Mars by Alex Băcanu on October 19, while the Oltenia Philharmonic included its November 8 symphonic concert in the festival programme.

The Romanian Opera Craiova presented one of Verdi’s most beloved works, La Traviata, on October 31, as well as the premiere of Puccini’s only comic opera, Gianni Schicchi, on October 20. The latter featured an international cast and was directed by American director Edna Garabedian of the California Opera Association.

Fans of the Romanian romance tradition were invited to a special evening dedicated to this important part of Romania’s musical heritage. Treasures of the Romanian Romance took place on November 9, bringing together music and poetry in a programme created in collaboration with the “Citadel of the Romance” Cultural Centre for UNESCO in Târgoviște. The Romanian Opera Craiova also presented a special Opera Gala on November 7, featuring prestigious guest artists.

During the final week of the festival, tickets for the Romanian Opera Craiova’s production of the musical Little Dorothy, presented on November 16, sold out. The stage adaptation by Carmen Roibu offered audiences of all ages a memorable showcase of acting and musical performance.

17th Edition. The Romanian Opera Craiova organised the 17th edition of the Elena Teodorini International Festival from August 14 to September 19, 2021.

Giacomo Puccini’s Il Tabarro, directed by Chris Catena, opened the 2021 edition of the festival on August 14, on the stage of the Summer Theatre in Nicolae Romanescu Park.

An important part of this edition’s programme was a unique literary event: a four-book launch, four novels written by renowned director Alexander Hausvater. The books were launched in Craiova on August 18, in the foyer of the Marin Sorescu National Theatre, with the special participation of the author and his guests.

The festival once again welcomed an international guest, the Varna Opera of Bulgaria, which presented the Craiova premiere of Don Quixote, a ballet composed by Ludwig Minkus and choreographed by Marius Petipa, one of the most beloved works in the international classical ballet repertoire. The performance took place on September 4 at the Military Circle.

One of the earliest comic operas to have stood the test of time, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La serva padrona, was presented to Craiova audiences in a production directed by Chris Catena. The cast brought together guest soloists and Craiova-based performers, accompanied by the Romanian Opera Craiova Orchestra under the musical direction of maestro Alexander Frey. The performance took place on August 9 at the Summer Theatre in Nicolae Romanescu Park.

Two other highly anticipated events for music lovers were Famous Choruses from Operas and Operettas (August 17, Summer Theatre) and W. A. Mozart’s Requiem (September 5, Oltenia Philharmonic Hall).

The festival also featured some of the most popular productions from the Romanian Opera Craiova repertoire. Younger audiences enjoyed Marius Țeicu’s Sleeping Beauty on August 21 at the Summer Theatre in Nicolae Romanescu Park, while dance enthusiasts were invited to El Amor on September 2. Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville was presented on August 28 at the Military Circle.

For reasons beyond the organisers’ control, a performance of the Romanian Opera Craiova’s latest premiere, Eduard Künneke’s operetta The Moon Bridegroom, scheduled for September 8, as well as the Elena Teodorini Opera Gala, scheduled for September 12 at the Oltenia Philharmonic Hall, could not take place.

The festival concluded with The Artist Awards (September 18–19), which once again brought together hundreds of artists and thousands of spectators in Mihai Viteazul Square.

18th Edition. The 18th edition of the Elena Teodorini International Festival took place from October 1 to November 19, 2023. Over seven weeks, the festival brought a diverse programme of outstanding artistic events to audiences in Craiova, Râmnicu Vâlcea and Brașov.

Two guest productions were presented to Craiova audiences during this edition: the independent production of G. B. Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, presented by the Nirmal Art Cultural Association on October 14 at the Military Circle, and W. A. Mozart’s Così fan tutte, performed by the Brașov Opera on November 4, also at the Military Circle.

Continuing the long-standing tradition of collaboration among cultural institutions in the Oltenia region, the 2023 festival programme included concerts and performances presented at their respective venues. The Oltenia Philharmonic performed Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem on October 27; the Ion Dumitrescu Philharmonic of Râmnicu Vâlcea presented the vocal-symphonic concert Missa Trinitas on October 30; the Marin Sorescu National Theatre presented The Anomaly on November 4; and the Theatre for Children and Young People delighted audiences with The Wizard of Oz on November 11.

Once again, the Romanian Opera Craiova paid tribute to soprano Elena Teodorini’s pedagogical vocation by organising two masterclasses at the Craiova Art Museum. The Canto Masterclass, led by renowned soprano Nelly Miricioiu, took place from October 31 to November 5, while a second masterclass dedicated to the study of recitatives in opera was led by Prof. Anca Mihuț from November 8 to 11.

A major highlight of the festival was Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Simon Boccanegra, performed by the Romanian Opera Craiova at the Brașov Opera on November 11, 2023.

For Craiova audiences, the Romanian Opera Craiova presented seven events during the festival: four of its most beloved productions — Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (October 1, Military Circle), Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra (October 7, Military Circle), Autumn Dance (October 21, Military Circle), and Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème (October 31, Military Circle) — together with three special galas: the Elena Teodorini Gala (November 5, Oltenia Philharmonic Hall), Lights On (November 18, 2023, Promenada), and the Callas & Puccini Gala (November 19, Marin Sorescu National Theatre).