Cristian Măcelaru, one of the most appreciated conductors of his generation, receives on Tuesday, October 14, the title of honorary citizen of the municipality of Bucharest.
Cristian Măcelaru becomes a citizen of honor of the capital. Photo George Enescu International Festival
“The capital of Romania honors the excellence and recognizes the contribution of an artist who brought his country’s name to the most important scenes of the world. The general mayor of Bucharest, Stelian Bujduveanu, has the pleasure of announcing the title of honorary citizen of the municipality of Bucharest Cristian Măcelaru, an international renewal and international director It is shown in a statement sent by Artemix – George Enescu International Festival & Competition.
The official ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 11. 30, at the Romanian Athenaeum, a symbolic space for the Romanian culture and for the history of the Enescu Festival.
By granting this distinction, the Capital City Hall pays tribute to a world -class artist, who, through his vision and activity, contributes decisively to strengthen the International Prestigue of Bucharest and Romania.
Cristian Măcelaru is one of the most appreciated conductors of his generation, being constantly invited to collaborate with the world’s greatest orchestras.
The artist simultaneously holds first -rate artistic positions: artistic director of the George Enescu Festival and International Competition, musical director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Musical Director of the National Orchestra of France, main conductor and artistic director of the World Youth symphonic orchestra from the Artistic Arts Center, Köln and is responsible for the musical direction of the Cabrillo Contemporary Music Festival in Santa Cruz, California.
In the summer of 2024, Cristian Măcelaru directed the National Orchestra of France and the Radio France choir at the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony, a historical moment watched by over 1.5 billion viewers from all over the world. Under his wand, the Olympic anthem rang in front of the Eiffel tower, while the Olympic flag was high – an emblematic image of the universal spirit of music.
Cristian Măcelaru has carried out with the National Orchestra of France a large season of concerts and tournaments in France, Germany, South Korea and China, confirming the extension and artistic force of the ensemble, along with a tour in the United States, in November this year.
In Europe, he recently made his debut with the Oslo Philharmonic and returned to the scenes of legendary orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Swedish Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, the German Symphony Orchestra and the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich.
In North America, he conducted the symphonic orchestras of Baltimore, Minnesota and St. Louis, after previously invited by New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra.
Cristian Măcelaru holds a Grammy Award
In 2020, he received the Grammy award for the registration of the violin and orchestra by Wynton Marsalis (Decca Classics), along with violinist Nicola Benedetti and the Symphony Orchestra in Philadelphia.
Among his recent discographic achievements are an album dedicated to the creation of George Enescu, with the symphonies and the two Romanian Rapsodii, released at Deutsche Grammophon along with the National Orchestra of France – a project where Cristian Măcelaru brings Enescian music to the international public and who has recently obtained the International Award Award, symphony ”.
This is the first time that an ICMA award for audio -video productions is a Romanian artist, an unusual performance that rewards the exceptional quality of this album released by the Deutsche Grammophon House and has already received important international prizes – Choc and Diapaason D’Or. In Romania, Cristian Măcelaru received for these discographic materials the Enescu 70 Prize, offered at the Radio Romania Cultural Awards Gala and the Disc Prize, offered at the Musicrit Awards Gala – the only gala that rewards excellence from all areas of classical music.
As an artistic director of the Enescu Festival, Cristian Măcelaru brought an innovative perspective and an opening to the contemporary repertoire, combining tradition and modernity. Under its leadership, the festival continued to be a platform for the largest orchestras and artists of the world, but also a space in which young Romanian musicians and contemporary creations are promoted internationally.
“By granting the title of honorary citizen, the municipality of Bucharest expresses respect for an artistic personality that made the musical excellence a mission and who managed to carry on the name of Romania on the great international scenes. The ceremony from the Romanian Athena”, The statement said.
