Initiated in 1995 through the efforts of Maestro Cornel Țăranu, a composer, professor, and academician, and led since 2009 by composer Adrian Pop, the festival is dedicated to highlighting contemporary musical thought and expression in its most original and varied forms. These range from updating the powerful lines of tradition to the most inventive and surprising avant-garde projects, from revisiting milestone works of 20th-century modernism to the latest creations of the newest generations.
Held biennially, with a format of seven concerts over seven consecutive days and a demanding and balanced program, the festival has earned well-deserved national and international prestige over its 12 editions so far. Notably, the festival includes opera performances—such as “Oreste-Oedipe” by Cornel Țăranu (2007) or “La Deuxième Aventure (céleste) de Monsieur Antipyrine” by Ionică Pop (2013 edition)—and ballet performances, like “Eva” by Liviu Dănceanu (2013). In addition to the diverse recitals and the traditional symphonic concert, the international musicology symposium stands out as a research component added to the event’s spectrum starting with the ninth edition.
Benefiting from the valuable artistic partnership of the “Transylvania” Philharmonic, “Cluj Modern” fulfills with each new edition its goal of promoting Cluj’s composers and performers in a fruitful dialogue with top-tier artistic forces from both the country and abroad.
The presence at the Cluj festival in previous editions of personalities such as Iannis Xenakis, Krzysztof Penderecki, and György Kurtág is a testament to the level of excellence that “Cluj Modern” has achieved in the European cultural sphere.
Recently, “Cluj Modern” was included on the CNATDCU list of Romanian events of international standing.
Prof. Univ. Dr. Adrian Pop
