Founded in 1955 by Maestro Antonin Ciolan, the “Transilvania” State Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys a privileged position on the Romanian musical scene. The orchestra has performed in prestigious halls and festivals, including Musikverein Vienna, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Lucerne Festival, “George Enescu” Festival in Bucharest, “La Folle Journée” Festival in Tokyo, “Eufonie” Festival in Warsaw, festivals in Istanbul, Santander, Strasbourg, Bratislava, Berlin, Interlaken, etc.

Throughout its existence, the orchestra has collaborated with some of the most renowned conductors and soloists: Kurt Masur, Witold Lutosławski, Carlo Zecchi, Yannis Xenakis, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir John Pritchard, Lawrence Foster, John Axelrod, Jörg Widmann, Dennis Russell Davis, Sviatoslav Richter, Radu Lupu, Ruggieri Ricci, Valentin Gheorghiu, Silvia Marcovici, José Carreras, Angela Gheorghiu, Ruxandra Donose, Roberto Alagna, Philippe Entremont, David Grimal, Sayaka Shoji, Simon Trpčeski and many others.

The discography of the “Transilvania” Philharmonic Orchestra contains over 120 recordings, reflecting a varied repertoire, from Baroque works to contemporary music, including the complete symphonies of Brahms and Bruckner. In 2021, the Pentatone label released a studio recording of Puccini’s Girl from the Wild West, conducted by Lawrence Foster. Two other discs (one of works by Bartók and Kodály, the other of arias from operas) will be released under the same prestigious label.

Although the focus is obviously on symphonic and vocal-symphonic repertoire, the orchestra also tackles operas. Highlights include performances of Enescu’s Oedipe (Lucerne Festival), Verdi’s Simone Boccanegra and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Santander Festival). Among its most recent achievements are concert performances of Wagner’s operas The Gold of the Rhine and Valkyrie (conducted by Gabriel Bebeșelea) and Puccini’s The Wild West (conducted by Lawrence Foster, the Orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor from the 2022/2023 season).