Life & Love | A not-to-be-missed performance by Vlad Ivanov and Lucian Maxim

Our 2023 program kicks off with a stunning performance, created especially for their American mini-tour, by screen star Vlad Ivanov, arguably the biggest leading man of Romanian cinema, and composer and percussionist Lucian Maxim. An ingenious mélange of poetry and music, expertly delivered by two acclaimed performers, the show is based on the poems of Romania’s totemic author, Mihai Eminescu - whose birthday date, January 15, is celebrated as the National Culture Day of Romania - and will be presented on January 18 in New York and January 20 in Washington, D.C. 

The project is jointly co-produced by the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Romania to the United States.

NYC Show: Time & Location

January 18, 7 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)

Romanian Cultural Institute (200 E 38th Street, New York 10016)

Performed in Romanian and English.

Free entrance. RSVP required at the provided link.

About the artists

Vlad Ivanov is arguably the best-known and most acclaimed Romanian film actor, whose breakthrough performance as Doctor Bebe in Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d'Or winner "4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days" got him top prizes both at Cannes Film Festival and from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Gifted with limitless reserves of energy and flair for playing complex characters, he starred in some of the defining films of what came to be known as the "Romanian New Wave" and worked with important directors such as Maren Arde, László Nemes, Alexandros Avranas, Bong Joon-ho, Cristian Mungiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, and Radu Mihăileanu. With over 50 roles in award-winning films in Romania and abroad and over 70 roles on stage as well as with prestigious prizes awarded among others by Transylvania International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, the American National Society of Film Critics, Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, New York Film Critics Circle, and Toronto Film Critics Association, Vlad Ivanov has established himself as a prolific, versatile actor, capable to shine in both mainstream productions and the arthouse cinema.

Lucian Maxim is a composer and a percussionist with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, with an extensive experience in theater. He worked with Andrei Șerban on his groundbreaking performances with "The Ancient Trilogy" and "The Trojan Women" at the Bucharest National Theater, composed the music of "Năpasta" (directed by Dana Dima) and was the musical coordinator of "Ghetto?" (directed by Victor Frunză). He has collaborated with renown musicians like Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Angela Gheorghiu, among others. He has toured with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania in Europe (Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland) and Asia (Japan, China, Malaysia). Lucian Maxim was a member of the influential Romanian rock band "Sarmalele Reci" and played along important Romanian jazz musicians like Johnny Răducanu, Garbis Dedeian, Marius Pop, Puiu Pascu, Alexandru Anastasiu, Marius Mihalache, and Emy Drăgoi.