The State Philharmonic Orchestra of Sibiu

In the 16th century, Sibiu had one of the first European schools for organ, funded by Hyeronymus Ostermayer and the city’s archive contains music scores signed by composers of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1774, at the court of Samuel von Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania, a professional orchestra held its first concert. In 1792, one year after Mozart’s death, “The Kidnap from Serai” was played in Sibiu, and later in 1800, the “The Creation” Oratorio by Joseph Haydn.

The State Philharmonic of Sibiu was funded on January 1, 1949. Together with the orchestra, artists from Romania and other countries have performed, among them: Ion Voicu,Valentin Gheorghiu, Stefan Ruha, Monique de La Bruchollerie and Jean Jaques Thiollier, Sviatoslav Richter, Rudolf Kerer, Lazar Berman, Dimitri Bashkirov, Ivry Gitlis, andMontserrat Caballé.

In 2004, the new location of the State Philharmonic of Sibiu was moved to Thalia Hall. Built in 1787 by Martin Hochmeister, the hall was destroyed twice through the years, both times due to a fire. The County Council of Sibiu restarted the restoration of the building in 1990. The official inauguration took place on October 7, 2004, accompanied by the notes of Symphony no. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Official website, here.