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The first edition of the Bucharest Harp Festival (BHF) took place in October 2007.
Maestro Ion Ivan-Roncea is the founder of this festival, having organized and directed the first festival and the first harp exhibition in Romania, as well as being the Honorary President of the Romanian Harpists Association.
After graduating from the National University of Music, Ion Ivan-Roncea quickly established himself as one of Romania’s most esteemed artists, performing with all the country’s philharmonics and giving numerous recitals enthusiastically received by the public and critics alike. Among his distinctions are:
- Order of Cultural Merit (2004)
- Lily Laskine Award (USA, 1984)
- 1st Prize at the International Harp Competition in Israel (1976)
Ion Ivan-Roncea has appeared as a soloist at the George Enescu Festival (Bucharest), as well as festivals in Salzburg, Vienna, Maastricht, Cardiff, Budapest, Belgrade, Godollo, La Coruna, and at world harp congresses in the Netherlands, Israel, Austria, France, and the Czech Republic. Read more.
In 2016, harpist Roxana Moișanu founded the Romanian Harpists Association, resuming the organization of the Bucharest Harp Festival with an expanded team. Alongside Maestro Ion Ivan-Roncea, the organizing team includes:
- Roxana Moișanu, Founding President of the Romanian Harpists Association (RHA)
- Florin Dinu, Founding Vice President of RHA
- Alina Danciu, Founding Secretary General of the RHA
The National University of Music in Bucharest hosted the first three editions of the festival (2007, 2016, 2018), supporting the organizing team. In addition, the festival benefited from the sponsorship of renowned harp manufacturers such as:
The main goal of the Bucharest Harp Festival is to promote the harp in Romania, stimulate interest in harp music and culture, foster imagination, and perpetuate national and international cultural values. The festival aims to educate children, youth, and all those interested in the arts and harp music.
At each edition, harp students and young musicians have had free access to masterclasses led by internationally renowned harpists such as:
- Chantal Mathieu
- Ion-Ivan Roncea
- Maria Bîldea
- Viktor Hartobanu
- Rita Hartobanu
- Stasha Grujic
Starting with the IV edition, organized in 2024, Roxana Moișanu has taken over the artistic direction from Maestro Ion Ivan-Roncea, becoming the artistic director of the Bucharest Harp Festival. This edition marks the festival’s return to the Bucharest cultural scene after a long absence due to the global pandemic. For the first time, the event will be hosted by the National Library of Romania, the main partner of this edition.
Participating artists (in alphabetical order) in the editions of the Bucharest Harp Festival from 2007, 2016, 2018, and 2024 include:
Evelina Daiana Andrieș, Maria Bîldea, Ionela Brădean, Daria Batschi-Beleca, Rafael Butaru (vioară), Viorica Boerescu (pian), Emanuela Iulia Calei, Adriana Cazacu, Ileana Chirilă, Cătălina Cîrciu (vioară), Ioana Comșa, Alina Danciu, Marilena Dori (flaut), Elena Dorobăț, Mihaela Faur, Cătălina Filipescu (violă), Alice Fossati, Stasha Grujic, Rita Hartobanu, Viktor Hartobanu, Alice Hristodor, Margareta Ignătescu, Teodora Iliescu (flaut), Ion Ivan-Roncea, Ștefana Ivan-Roncea (vioară), Claudia Lucia-Lamanna, Rebeca Marin, Cornelia Marinescu, Chantal Mathieu, Ersilia Mikrou, Claudia Mițnei, Roxana Moișanu, Marian Movileanu (violă), Cristina Munteanu, Emese Nagy, Orsolya Nagy, Sergiu Nastasa (vioară), Ioana Nicolescu, Angela Maria Oancea, Dana Ouatu, Florin Ouatu (flaut), Andrei Olaru, Rozalia Pataki, Electra Peleki, Gabriela Petecilă (flaut), Marciana Petrila, Tatiana Podoleac, Cătălin Răducanu (pian), Daniela Robe, Ingrid Roman, Iuliana Roșca, Georgiana Roșioru, Ileana Rotaru, Bernadette Sara, Mladen Spasinovici (violoncel), Kinga Szabo, Alyssa Șipoș, Diana Tănase, Sandor Tekeres, Mariana Tudor-Ulianovschi, Daria Văcăroiu, Miruna Vidican, David Welsh și Judith Wunderlich.
