Members of the jury of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition, alongside former prizewinners and distinguished guests from the international music scene, will give six special chamber recitals at the Romanian Athenaeum.

The programme spans more than two centuries of music, from Bach, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms to Bartok, Prokofiev and Ravel, in a series of concerts showcasing the refinement of the chamber repertoire, virtuoso performance and artistic dialogue between generations, ARTEXIM said in a press release.

The series opens on Friday with cellist Claudio Bohorquez, a member of the Cello Section jury, and pianist Peter Nagy, in a programme devoted entirely to Robert Schumann. Fantasiestucke, Romanzen, Marchenbilder and the celebrated song cycle Dichterliebe offer a journey through the poetic and deeply expressive world of the German composer.

On Sunday, violinist Mihaela Martin, president of the Violin Section jury, returns to the Romanian Athenaeum alongside cellist Frans Helmerson, violist Miguel da Silva and pianist Enrico Pace. The programme brings together major works of the European chamber repertoire, from Beethoven's String Trio Op. 9 No. 3 and Edvard Grieg's Sonata No. 2 to Johannes Brahms's monumental Piano Quartet No. 1.

On September 10, Nemanja Radulovic, winner of the George Enescu International Competition in 2001 and a member of this year's jury, returns to Bucharest with pianist Laure Favre-Kahn. The programme includes works by Bartok, Franck, Prokofiev and Ravel and reflects the distinctive artistic personality of one of the most acclaimed violinists of his generation.

On September 12, violinist Alissa Margulis, a member of the Enescu Competition jury, pianist Alexei Volodin and cellist Stefan Cazacu, a prizewinner of the 2020-2021 edition, will perform two masterpieces of the chamber repertoire: Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Kreutzer' Sonata and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, composed in memory of Nikolai Rubinstein.

Pianist Marie-Ange Nguci, a member of the 2026 Enescu Competition jury, and violinist Hyeonjeong Lee, a prizewinner of the 2024 edition, will present a programme on September 16 featuring works by Maurice Ravel, Eugene Ysaye, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt and Sergei Prokofiev.

Celebrated pianist Nelson Goerner, one of the most acclaimed interpreters of the Romantic repertoire and a member of the 2026 Enescu Competition jury, will bring the recital series to a close on September 18. His solo programme includes Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata in C minor, Robert Schumann's Fantasie in C major and Franz Schubert's Sonata in C minor, D. 958, in a recital tracing the evolution of pianistic expression from the Baroque to the Romantic era.

Tickets and subscriptions are available exclusively through Eventim.ro and the Carturesti and Humanitas bookshop networks. Individual tickets start at 75 lei, with discounts available for school pupils, students and pensioners. A recital subscription providing access to all six concerts in the series is also available.

The 2026 George Enescu International Competition, which runs in Bucharest until September 19, is one of the major international competitions dedicated to young musicians, bringing together established artists and some of the most promising talents of the new generation at each edition.

Organised by ARTEXIM, the 2026 anniversary edition has the theme 'In Pursuit of Excellence', reaffirming the competition's commitment to the highest standards of artistic performance.

The George Enescu International Competition is a cultural project funded by the Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture and is held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania. The ArtProduction Foundation is co-organiser. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Florin Marin; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)