Bucharest Opera Festival 2025 Launches at ICR New York with a Recital by Soprano Iulia Isaev and Pianist Liana Mareș on April 25

The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York will host an extraordinary recital on Friday, April 25, featuring soprano Iulia Isaev and pianist Liana Mareș. The event offers American audiences a glimpse into the excellence of Romanian lyrical art and serves as a prelude to the 2025 edition of the Bucharest Opera Festival.

During the evening, details about the upcoming fourth edition of the festival will be revealed, offering insight into this year’s events. Musicologist Oltea Șerban-Pârâu will share impressions from the third edition, which she attended last year in Bucharest, highlighting memorable moments and the festival’s impact.

Attendees will also be able to watch the film Bucharest Opera Festival 2024 – All Puccini Edition, directed by Virgil Oprina, a visual testament to the previous edition’s success. The event will be attended by Daniel Jinga, General Director of the Bucharest National Opera House. The evening will open with a brief welcome speech by Dorian Branea, Director of ICR New York.

Set to return for its fourth edition in June 2025, Bucharest Opera Festival plays a crucial role in placing Bucharest on the map of major international festival cities. It aims to create a strong platform for showcasing the most valuable opera and ballet companies from Romania and abroad.

Musical Program

Iulia Isaev – soprano
Liana Mareș – piano

• A. Catalani – “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” from La Wally

• A. Boito – “L’altra notte in fondo al mare” from Mefistofele

• G. Puccini – “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi

• F. Poulenc – Les chemins de l’amour

• P.A. Tirindelli – O Primavera!

• G. Enescu – Eu mă duc, codrul rămâne

• G. Enescu – Estrenne à Anne

• G. Enescu – Languir me fais…

• G. Enescu – Aux damoiselles paresseuses d’écrire à leur amys

• G. Enescu – Du confict en douleur

• N. Bretan – Stelele-n cer

Iulia Isaev
A leading figure of the Romanian vocal school, soprano Iulia Isaev boasts an international career that reached a highlight in 2019 with her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Tosca. A graduate of the National University of Music Bucharest, where she studied under the renowned Arta Florescu, Isaev won prizes at prestigious competitions such as “Loire Atlantique” in France, “George Enescu” in Bucharest, and “Madama Butterfly” in Spain.

She debuted at the Bucharest National Opera in the role of Micaëla from Bizet’s Carmen, and went on to perform on the world’s most prestigious stages, including Staatsoper Vienna, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Paris Opera, La Fenice Venice, Teatro San Carlo Lisbon, the Greek National Opera, the New National Theatre Tokyo, and the Metropolitan Opera.

Her repertoire includes iconic roles such as Mimi (La Bohème), Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly), Tosca, Desdemona (Otello), Marguerite (Faust), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Contessa (The Marriage of Figaro), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), and more. She has worked with renowned conductors and directors such as James Levine, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Franco Zeffirelli, and Peter Brook. Isaev currently performs with the Bucharest National Opera and teaches at the National University of Music Bucharest.

Liana Mareș
A graduate of the National University of Music Bucharest, where she studied piano with Veronica Gaspar and harpsichord with Ogneanca Lefterescu, Liana Mareș has been a pianist with the Bucharest National Opera since graduation. She has also collaborated with the George Enescu Philharmonic, the National Operetta Theatre, and Romanian Radio Broadcasting.

She has performed in prestigious venues such as the Romanian Athenaeum, Dalles Hall, Cotroceni Museum, and Peleș Museum, as well as in cities including Craiova, Oradea, and Brăila. Her opera accompaniment repertoire includes works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Bizet, Wagner, and others. She has toured France, Greece, and Israel and was certified in June 2011 as a vocal coach by the Accademia Teatro alla Scala.

Bucharest Opera Festival
Now in its fourth edition, the Bucharest Opera Festival will present ten evenings of opera, ballet, operetta, and concert performances by ten different companies. International guests include the Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre from Chișinău and the Ruse Opera from Bulgaria.

Joining the Bucharest National Opera are the Romanian National Operas from Iași and Timișoara, the Hungarian Opera of Cluj-Napoca, the Operas of Brașov and Galați, and the Radio Chamber Orchestra.

Once again, the festival unites Romania’s top opera directors and artistic teams, transforming Bucharest into a prime destination for cultural tourism.