Lumières d’Europe Academy in Residence at Enescu Festival 2025

The George Enescu International Festival will once again host Lumières d’Europe, a musical residency project led by violinist David Grimal, from September 1-10, 2025, in Bucharest. Organized in partnership with the National University of Music Bucharest, this edition will explore the theme “Resistance and Freedom.”

Fifteen young musicians from across Europe will be selected to work with renowned artists, including Itamar Golan (piano), David Grimal (violin), Natasha Tchitch (viola), Leonid Gorokhov (cello), and César Viana (composer-in-residence). These mentors will guide the musicians in interpreting works by composers inspired by ideals of resistance and freedom, such as Enescu, Shostakovich, Pártos, Schnittke, Silvestrov, Schulhoff, Veress, Viana, and Weinberg. The residency will also feature the premiere of an original composition by César Viana.

Philosopher Paul Audi and essayist Nicolas Tenzer will give lectures during the Lumières d’Europe project. The residency will conclude with concerts performed by the selected musicians alongside their mentors at the National University of Music Bucharest, with free admission for the public.

ARTEXIM, the organizer of the George Enescu Festival and Competition, remains committed to supporting young musicians by providing them with opportunities for professional growth. Winners of the 19th edition of the Enescu Competition in 2024 were awarded not only financial prizes but also invitations to perform in future editions of the Festival and Competition, as well as in the concert seasons of Romanian philharmonics.

The 2025 edition of Lumières d’Europe will bring together distinguished artists, a composer-in-residence, scholars, and 15 talented young musicians from across Europe. Through music and interdisciplinary dialogue, they will explore the theme of resistance and freedom, continuing ARTEXIM’s efforts to offer young musicians a platform for artistic and professional development within prestigious cultural events.

David Grimal, the founder of Lumières d’Europe, emphasizes the unifying power of art and music:
“In 1945, Romain Gary published ‘L’Education européenne,’ the first novel in a series that reflected his love for a Europe in turmoil. He championed a Europe of enlightenment, of universal values such as freedom, equality, and trust in human intelligence. There is an often imperfect fraternity between the Europe of soldiers in the trenches and the Europe of artists, thinkers, and great human achievements—a continuous effort to build a utopia, a continent united, free, and at peace.”

The first edition of Lumières d’Europe in Romania took place in 2023 at the Enescu Festival, where 14 selected musicians participated in multidisciplinary sessions and performed alongside renowned European artists, including pianist Philippe Cassard, violist Diemut Poppen, cellist Anne Gastinel, and David Grimal. The program featured five concerts at the National University of Music Bucharest, Mogoșoaia Palace, and Godot Theater, as well as four conferences at the French Institute, with distinguished guests such as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Serge Haroche, MARe Museum director Erwin Kessler, and composer Eric Montalbetti.

Young musicians from across Europe can apply for the 2025 Lumières d’Europe residency until May 31, 2025: https://www.lumieresdeurope.eu/apply.