Conductor Cristian Măcelaru Announces 2024-2025 Season Highlights
Photo Credit: Ben Knabe
For Immediate Release
New York, NY (September 4, 2024) – With work declared a “master class” and delivered “with close attention and sharp intuition” (The Washington Post), GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Cristian Măcelaru begins his 2024-2025 season in the newly appointed role of Music Director Designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, among numerous other titled and guest engagements. With Romania’s George Enescu Festival & Competition, where he serves as Artistic Director, he leads the first competition of his tenure, bringing together outstanding young musicians from more than 20 countries. As Music Director of Orchestre National de France, he leads the orchestra on tours of China and South Korea, as well as venues across France and Germany. At WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, he takes on his final season as Chief Conductor before shifting to the role of Artistic Partner for the 2025-2026 season. His guest dates around Europe include debuts with Oslo Philharmonic and RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, as well as returns to Wiener Symphoniker, Gewandhausorchester, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Barcelona Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.
In the United States, Măcelaru leads the St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra. He also serves as Music Director and Conductor for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor with Interlochen Center for the Arts’ World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director for the George Enescu Festival and Competition. In his most recent appointment, Măcelaru has been named by Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music to serve as Distinguished Visiting Artist from the 2025/2026 season through 2027/2028.
Măcelaru begins his season with the George Enescu International Competition, held August 31 – September 27, 2024, which he leads in his role as Artistic Director of both the Competition and the George Enescu International Festival, two halves of a key Romanian cultural initiative. During this year’s competition, Măcelaru leads a Masterclass of Conducting, Instrumental Performance and Advanced Music Study in which top participants will be selected to conduct portions of the competition’s closing concert – where Măcelaru himself conducts the Romanian Youth Orchestra.
Following a performance at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Măcelaru commenced his season with Orchestre National de France on August 31, 2024 at Austria’s Grafenegg Festival, leading a program featuring cello soloist Gautier Capuçon. For three dates in September, he conducts the orchestra in a program highlighting Brahms’ Violin Concerto, featuring soloist Julia Fischer. Performances will be held at Maison de la Radio et de la Musique in Paris on September 12, 2024, Opéra de Dijon on September 13, 2024 and Théâtre Ledoux in Besançon for the Festival International de Musique - Besançon Franche-Comté on September 14, 2024. Măcelaru goes on to lead Orchestre National de France in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection” on October 24 and 25, 2024 at Maison de la Radio et de la Musique. He conducts the orchestra in a program highlighting Dukas’ The Sorcerer's Apprentice, featuring pianist Beatrice Rana, with performances in Paris on November 28, 2024, Hamburg on December 2, 2024, Frankfurt on December 4, 2024, Cologne on December 5, 2024 and Stuttgart on December 6, 2024.
Măcelaru conducts a New Year’s Eve concert on December 30 and 31, 2024, as Orchestre National de France is joined by the Janoska Ensemble in a program featuring works by Brahms, Kodály and Johann Strauss II. From January 6 to 10, 2025, he leads the two ensembles in a Grand Tour of the same program, with performances in the French cities of Châteauroux, Bourges, Chalon-sur-Saône, Grenoble and Vichy. Măcelaru goes on to lead Orchestre National de France in a tour celebrating Ravel’s 150th birthday from February 28, 2025 to March 13, 2025. The tour first brings Măcelaru and the orchestra to the Paris Philharmonie on February 28, 2025 for a program featuring pianist Alexandre Tharaud, followed by an appearance at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on Wednesday March 5, 2025 featuring violinist Sarah Nemtanu and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux. They return to Maison de la Radio et de la Musique on March 6, 2025 for a program with French actor/comedian Laurent Stocker, and on March 13, 2025 for a performance featuring pianist Beatrice Rana. On April 24, 2025, Măcelaru conducts Orchestre National de France in a concert highlighting Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition at Maison de la Radio et de la Musique.
From April 29 to May 2, 2025, Măcelaru leads Orchestre National de France in a series of performances at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, South Korea, conducting a program of works by Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Mussorgsky, with soloist Alexander Kantorow featured on Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. He and the orchestra continue to Beijing, China for performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on May 5, 2025 to May 6, 2025, reprising their program from Seoul with pianist Bruce Liu featured on Ravel’s Concerto in G.
Măcelaru returns to Paris in the summer to lead Orchestre National de France in Bastille Day concerts from July 14 to July 23, 2025.
With WDR Sinfonieorchester, Măcelaru leads the season-opening concert on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at Kölner Philharmonie, featuring the German premiere of Karim Al-Zand’s new work premiered by WDR and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He returns for performances on November 1 and 2, 2024 with mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, Knaben und Mädchen der Kölner Dommusik and Damen des WDR Rundfunkchores. On November 15, 2024, Măcelaru leads the orchestra in a performance with pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, who is featured on concertos by Brahms and Bartók. In the new year, Măcelaru conducts WDR Sinfonieorchester in the world premiere of the Marsalis Concerto for Orchestra on January 31 and February 1, 2025.
Măcelaru returns to WDR Sinfonieorchester for a performance on March 28, 2025 featuring violinist Daniel Lozakovich. He goes on to lead the orchestra in the Federal President’s charity concert, Benefizkonzert des Bundespräsidenten, on April 13, 2025, featuring a program of works by Enescu, Korngold, Ravel and Bernstein with soprano Fatma Said and cellist Maximilian Hornung. The event will also be presented via live stream from Cologne. On May 23, 2025 and May 24, 2025, Măcelaru’s conducts WDR Sinfonieorchester in a program featuring Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, with performances by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Allan Clayton, bass-baritone Derek Welton and the Rundfunkchor Berlin and WDR Rundfunkchor. On June 27, 2025, Măcelaru leads his final concert this season with WDR Sinfonieorchester, featuring violinist Hilary Hahn on Brahms’ Concerto in D major.
Măcelaru debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic in concerts on October 10 and 11, 2024 at the Oslo Concert Hall in Norway. In this program featuring baritone Jóhann Kristinsson, soprano Sally Matthews, mezzo-soprano Ingeborg Gillebo and choir conductor Øystein Fevang, Măcelaru conducts a performance of Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.
In his second European debut, Măcelaru leads RAI National Symphony Orchestra on December 13, 2024 at the RAI Auditorium in Turin, Italy. Featuring violinist Sergey Khachatryan, the program comprises Aram Ilyich Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D minor and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7.
Among his European returns, Măcelaru appears at Barcelona Symphony Orchestra for concerts on November 8 and 9, 2024 at L’Auditori, featuring violinist Alexandra Conunova in a performance of Bartók’s The Wooden Prince. Măcelaru then leads Wiener Symphoniker in concerts on December 19 and 20, 2024 at Vienna Musikverein, featuring violinist Augustin Hadelich in a program of Tchaikovsky and Dvořák. On January 18 and 19, 2025, Măcelaru conducts the Dresden Philharmonic at Kulturpalast Dresden in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6.
On January 23 and 24, 2025, Măcelaru conducts a program in the series of “Großes Concerts“ (“Great Concerts“) performed by the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig, Germany with pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. He then returns to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra with concerts on March 20 and 21, 2025, featuring Rudolf Buchbinder on piano for Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé. On April 25, 2025, he conducts Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in a program spotlighting soloist Isabelle Faust on Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in C sharp minor, paired in this program with works by Brahms and Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté. Măcelaru’s final European guest appearance of the season will be with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in a performance of Bartók’s The Wooden Prince with violinist Augustin Hadelich on May 14 and 15, 2025.
In the first of his U.S. engagements, Măcelaru conducts at the St. Louis Symphony on October 4 and 6, 2024 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, featuring works by Ginastera and Dvořák paired with a piece by Gabriela Lena Frank. He begins his tenure as Music Director Designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with concerts on February 8 and 9, 2025, featuring violinist Randall Goosby in a program including Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World. Măcelaru appears with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to lead concerts on February 13 and 15, 2025 at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and on February 16, 2025 at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, all featuring pianist Simon Trpčeski in a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Stravinsky’s Symphony in C. Additionally, Măcelaru conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in concerts on May 30 and 31 and June 1, 2025 at Heinz Hall, featuring Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. and Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto with soloist Nemanja Radulović. Concluding his U.S. engagements, Măcelaru leads the Minnesota Orchestra in concerts on June 5 and 6, 2025, featuring Principal Bassoon Fei Xie on Jolivet’s Bassoon Concerto, paired with Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony and Enescu’s Symphony No. 1.