Brave Stories About Immigration, Family, and Love Beyond Death in the Hoinar.Odyssey Program

Between May 15–20, the Hoinar Festival returns to Bucharest with its most ambitious program yet: 5 performances, 5 debates, 5 art installations, and 3 workshops and concerts with students and teachers. Four of the five performances of this 8th edition will take place on the intimate stage of ACT Theatre, starting May 15 at 7:30 PM, presenting bold and original stories about journeys, seen through diverse and complex perspectives.

Following the festival’s opening with The Wanderer (concept designer: David Gray), the second evening of the Hoinar Festival will bring audiences a love story that crosses oceans, cultures, and destinies, told through George Gershwin’s jazz music, video projections, and an original script written by pianist Florian Mitrea. Stairway to Paradise, directed by Laura Ducu and starring Florian Mitrea and Sarah Gabriel, follows the story of Morris, a young immigrant from Eastern Europe who arrives in the United States fleeing persecution and poverty. Driven by hope and the desire to reunite with his beloved who had previously emigrated, Morris pursues the American Dream of a better life, prosperity, and stability. How real that dream truly is, will be revealed to audiences on Friday, May 16, in a world premiere. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3RCx69s

“When I first read the script Florian proposed, I was moved and also aware of the great responsibility of bringing a story about immigration and belonging to today’s audience. As I uncovered the story’s hidden layers, I realized the responsibility was even greater: we are telling a story about learning how to live when survival takes up all your time. And throughout the staging process, it became clear that for each of the three artists involved, this show is a personal step on their own stairway to paradise,” said Laura Ducu.

The Hoinar.Odyssey program continues on Saturday, May 17, with M, a performance directed by Dana Paraschiv, about the paths we take together and those we walk alone, and how difficult it can be to stay united even when we share the same dreams. Starring Adrian Bîlă and with Florian Mitrea performing Mozart’s music live at the piano, the show explores what happens when a dreamy pianist and his pragmatic brother try to create a classical music relaxation app together. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3RCi2sy

“For years, I had dreamed of creating a performance where live music and acting would naturally blend. And, as usual, what I envisioned at the beginning was nothing like what emerged in the end — luckily. Because what is born when you let life and people tell their own story is always more vivid than any plan. We started from the simple idea of creating a ‘story with music.’ Along the way, the show became an exploration of family ties, simmering egos, chaos, and the fragility that defines us. For us, this play is a journey through memories and inherited guilt, through all the unsaid things. Sometimes the road is walked alone, sometimes together, even if not always in step. Everything you see is fiction. Everything you feel may be a little bit of each of us,” said Dana Paraschiv.

The final evening hosted by ACT Theatre during Hoinar.Odyssey will present Remnants of an Idea, a concept performance created by Daria Tudor, blending the music of Franz Schubert and Dmitri Shostakovich with storytelling to offer the audience a multisensory and introspective experience. It unfolds through the last thoughts and emotions of Dima, a young doctor involved in the war, reflecting on love, sacrifice, and life beyond death. Joining pianist Daria Tudor on stage will be violinist Valentin Șerban and cellist Andrei Ioniță, alongside a student participant from the festival’s educational program, Hoinar.Side by Side. Young cellist Carla Ștefania Achim was invited to perform alongside one of the evening’s artists, a gesture that mirrors the Hoinar project’s founding mission: supporting excellence in Romanian arts education. Tickets: https://bit.ly/4cOKukr

“How many times have we wished for an overview of our lives? I believe this moment happens only once — when the puzzle of our lives is complete. For me, this puzzle represents the ‘idea’ of each person’s life. Through this performance, we unfold such a puzzle, allowing each spectator to choose their own ‘remnant.’ Beyond the wish to fall in love again with every moment of life, the show also highlights a deep truth: at the heart of every musical work lies a decisive piece of someone’s life puzzle. On May 18, these pieces will be Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2 and fragments from Schubert’s Winterreise,” said Daria Tudor.

The 8th edition of the classical music festival organized by the Romanian Music Centre Foundation explores the theme of the journey — viewed as a profound human need that moves, transforms, and (re)defines us. All performances in the program spotlight different faces and definitions of the journey, and each evening concludes with Hoinar(i) Talks, an open dialogue with the artists. Trailer: https://youtu.be/VhKIANYueCg