"Violoncellissimo" for the National Culture Day of Romania in Washington, D.C.

On January 15, we celebrate our National Culture Day in the company of one of Romania’s most spectacular chamber music ensembles. Founded and led by cellist Marin Cazacu, the visionary maestro behind another ground-breaking initiative, The Romanian Youth Orchestra, “Violoncellissimo” brings together eight young cello players, a percussionist and a pianist for an evening of energetic performing and amazing virtuosity.

"Violoncellissimo" is made up of: Marin Cazacu, Ștefan Cazacu, Ella Bokor, Octavian Lup, Horațiu Ludușan, Izabela Ghergu, Cornelius Zirbo, Alexandru Totan, Florin Burlacu (cello), Iulian Ochescu (piano) & Bogdan Pop (percussion).  The concert is organized in partnership by the Romanian Embassy to the United States and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and will take place at the prestigious Cosmos Club in the heart of Washington diplomatic district.  Program: Johann Schrammel – March Georg Friedrich Haendel – Passacaglia Tomaso Albinoni – Adagio Constantin Dimitrescu – Romanian Serenade and Dance Bela Bartok – Romanian Dances Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion and Libertango Dimitri Schostakovich – Waltz Sabin Pautza (arr.) – The Final Countdown Mozart/Cazacu – Alla Turca Jazz-Rock

“Violoncellissimo” was founded by renowned cellist Marin Cazacu in 2001 as a new way to showcase the talent and skill of his students. In time, the group, whose composition and size varies, has established a reputation for quality and spectacular performances. In 2008, at the Athenaeum, Romania’s best known music hall, the ensemble amazed the public with a unique concert in which no less than 60 cellists came together for a game-changing evening. They repeated the event in 2013 and this time the ensemble grew to 100 cellists. “Violoncellissimo” regularly performs on national and international stages.

Born in 1956, Marin Cazacu studied cello at the Bucharest Conservatoire with Professors Serafim Antropov and Aurel Niculescu. He later improved his musical skills in Weimar with Professor Mező László. Since 1983, he has been a soloist of the George Enescu Philharmonic and has also performed in different chamber music ensembles together with prestigious artists like Vladimir Orlov, Valentin Gheorghiu, Radu Aldulescu, Mihaela Martin, Mirel Iancovici, Ilia Grubert, and Jeremy Menuhin. Cazacu is the founder of Cellissimo Quartet, a member of the Pro Arte Trio and a collaborator of the Voces Quartet. From 1992, he has been a Professor at the Bucharest National University of Music. In 2004, he was granted the Cultural Merit Order of Romania in the rank of Knight. He founded the Romanian Youth Orchestra in 2008. Cazacu is a laureate of international competitions held in Geneva, Markneukirchen, Leipzig, Bologna, and Belgrade.