In strict compliance with health regulations, the George Enescu Festival took place in Bucharest, Romania, from August 28 to September 26. This year the festival celebrated its 25th jubilee.

The Wilo-Foundation has been supporting the internationally renowned classical music festival and competition for outstanding international young talent, George Enescu International Competition, for the eighth year since 2014. The Wilo-Foundation's special funding focus this year at the George Enescu International Festival 2021 was, following on from the Foundation's Corona aid for artists in the previous year, support for the participating "free", i.e. privately organized ensembles, which were hit particularly hard financially in times of Corona. In Bucharest, for example, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO), the Ensemble Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (ASMF) and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), currently guesting at the Konzerthaus Dortmund as "Orchestra in Residence," were on the 2021 festival program.

For Oliver Hermes, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Wilo Group and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Wilo-Foundation, this year's 25th jubilee is a worthy occasion to particularly emphasize the significance of the festival: "After corona-induced times of social distance, this year the George Enescu Festival once again provided an important international stage where first-class musicians could be experienced in Bucharest, but also international relationships and friendships could be cultivated. Last year's digital competition also drew attention to the outstanding class of exceptional young talent and helped them realize their professional dreams."

Foundation director Evi Hoch attended the festival concert of the famous Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) and world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang in Bucharest on Sept. 15, 2021. Together with concertmaster Matthew Truscott, they offered a varied program of works by Josef Haydn, Leoš Janáček, Igor Strawinsky und Dmitri Schostakowitsch. At the subsequent meet & greet with the MCO artists, Evi Hoch welcomed the musicians and guests and emphasized the relevance of the artistic work of independent ensembles like the MCO: "Especially in these challenging times, we feel how important it is to focus explicitly on the important artistic work of independent ensembles. We are very pleased to be among the few visitors at the Athenaeum who were able to enjoy and experience this artistically exceptional concert program by the MCO."

Background:

The George Enescu Festival is one of the most important international festivals for classical music. The tradition-rich festival was established in 1958 in honor of Romanian composer George Enescu and has been held every two years since then in Bucharest, Romania. In addition to the festival, the International George Enescu Competition is held every two years. The winners of the competition receive prize money and, above all, the opportunity to perform at the prestigious George Enescu Festival the following year.