Cristian Măcelaru Named Artistic Partner Of The WDR Sinfonieorchester For 2025/26 Season

The WDR Sinfonieorchester and Cristian Măcelaru, Chief Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester since 2019/20, will continue their successful collaboration in the 2025/26 season. After two contract periods as principal conductor, the Romanian-born conductor will remain closely associated with the WDR Sinfonieorchester as Artistic Partner in the 2025/26 season. This will include three concert programs in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia, touring and productions.

"We are delighted that we will be able to work with this globally successful conductor and passionate ambassador for classical music on the podium of the WDR Sinfonieorchester beyond the term of his contract," said WDR Director-General Tom Buhrow. "The musicians of the WDR Sinfonierochester have continued to excel in their commitment and deep understanding of the wide variety of music we have performed together," said Cristian Măcelaru. "I am truly fortunate to continue our strong and enriching relationship in this new capacity as artistic partner. The work we did stands as a testament to our mutual respect and appreciation."

In addition to the projects in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia, the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Măcelaru were tremendously successful in concerts at the BBC Proms, the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, the Elbphilharmonie at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, in addition to highly acclaimed recordings of works by Bela Bartók and Antonin Dvořák.

About Cristian Măcelaru
GRAMMY Award-winning conductor Cristian Măcelaru is Artistic Director of the George Enescu Festival and Competition, Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, Chief Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Interlochen Center for the Arts' World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director and Conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.

At the 2023 George Enescu Festival, his inaugural season as Artistic Director, Măcelaru led the George Enescu Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester and Orchestre National de France alongside the Romanian Youth Orchestra. The 2023 festival presented more than 100 concerts in six separate series spanning over four weeks in five different venues. Some 3,500 guest artists and orchestras from 16 different countries took part. Performances included 39 Enescu compositions, as well as Romanian premieres from living composers.

In addition to their regular performances in Paris, Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France will tour to Spain and Austria and also perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. This season, Măcelaru also tours in China and South Korea with the WDR Sinfonieorchester. Additional 2023/24 season highlights include Măcelaru's debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra and return engagements with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Măcelaru's previous seasons include European engagements with the Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchesterdes Bayerischen Rundfunks, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Staatskapelle Berlin and Budapest Festival Orchestra. In North America, he has led the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he was Conductor-in-Residence for three seasons.

Măcelaru is featured on albums including the complete symphonies of Saint-Saëns on Warner Classics with the Orchestre National de France and selections by Bartók and Dvořák on Linn Records with the WDR Sinfonieorchester. In 2020, he received a GRAMMY Award for conducting the Decca Classics recording of Wynton Marsalis' Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Măcelaru is known for introducing classical music to a broader audience through efforts including his popular Kurz und Klassic video series with the WDR Sinfonieorchester and the
L'œuvre augmentée concert series with the Orchestre National de France, both forums for sharing background and insights on classical works. He is also a devoted mentor to young musicians, facilitating opportunities through the Cabrillo Conductors / Composers Workshop, masterclasses with the Romanian Chamber Orchestra and this season's residency at the Kronberg Academy in Germany.

Born in Timișoara, Romania, Măcelaru excelled on the violin from an early age. He studied in the United States at the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Miami and Rice University with Larry Rachleff, as well as at Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival in masterclasses with David Zinman, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Oliver Knussen and Stefan Asbury. He was the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and made his Carnegie Hall debut with that orchestra at age 19. He also played in the first violin section of the Houston Symphony for two seasons. His international career was launched in 2012 when he was asked to step in for Pierre Boulez with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During that same year, he received the Solti Emerging Conductor Award, followed by the Solti Conducting Award in 2014. Learn more at www.macelaru.com.

Photo Credit: Thomas Brill

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