Artistic director and conductor - Mihail Agafița, People's Artist
Mihail Agafita is a valuable representative of the young generation of conductors, having performed over 900 symphonic concerts and opera and ballet concerts with ensembles from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Spain, Finland, the United States, Russia, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well as touring in France, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium over the past 25 years.
Mihail Agafita, who was born in the Republic of Moldova in 1973, studied conducting at the State Institute of Arts in Chisinau before earning his degree in conducting from the National University of Music in Bucharest under the mentorship of eminent professor Dumitru Goia. Also under his mentorship, he went on to complete a master’s degree program in the Conducting Stylistics Department with a focus on orchestral conducting. During 2005–2007, he perfected his mastery with master classes held by the renowned conductor Patrick Strub, organized by the German Embassy in Chisinau.
Since 2004, he has held the position of permanent conductor of the National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, and since 2013, he has obtained the prestigious position of the first conductor and artistic director of the Symphony Orchestra of the same institution. Between 2009 and 2013, he was the permanent conductor of the „Transilvania” Philharmonic in Cluj-Napoca. Mihail Agafita takes part in well-known international music festivals, where his work as a conductor is cheered on by the public and praised by the media. He works with renowned personalities in the musical world. His partnership with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and his development at the 2011 „George Enescu” International Festival in Bucharest at the Transilvania Philharmonic in Cluj-Napoca stand out as special moments in his career. Remarkable was the launch of the idea to extend this prestigious Festival in the Republic of Moldova, as well as its realization through the concerts in Chisinau in 2017 and 2019.
Also important were the collaborations with the „George Enescu” Philharmonic, the National Radio Orchestra in Bucharest, and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana, as well as many other important achievements. Since 2010, Mihail Agafita becomes a member of the Union of Musicians of the Republic of Moldova. His impressive repertoire includes musical works of various genres and styles, from pre-classical to contemporary, including first-time auditions. Since the beginning of his conducting career, Mihail Agafita has been appreciated for his personality and artistic talent, the strength and sensitivity of his interpretations of musical works, as well as the flawless conducting technique that allowed him to faithfully reproduce the stylistic peculiarities inherent to each of the works he has approached. In 2010, conductor Mihail Agafita was awarded the honorary title Master of Art, and in 2016, by presidential decree, he was designated with the highest honorary title of the Republic of Moldova in the field of culture – People’s Artist.
In February 2012, as a token of appreciation for his outstanding merits and for the contribution he made to the lyrical scene, the Romanian National Opera of Cluj awarded him the „Lya Hubic” trophy. In addition, in January 2016, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova awarded the master the „Gavriil Musicescu” award for his contribution to promoting symphonic art and special performances in exceptional concerts. In February 2018, the prestigious VIP Magazin magazine, following an online public vote, offered him the „Man of the Year 2017” award in the Culture category. In May 2019, he was awarded the honorary title „Honorary Citizen of Calarasi District” as a sign of high appreciation and gratitude for his prodigious activity in the promotion of the cultural heritage, as well as for his meritorious contributions to promoting symphonic art and a special performance in exceptional concerts. In December 2020, he was awarded the Award for Excellence in Art from TVR Moldova for strengthening the common cultural space and contributing to the promotion of musical art on both banks of the Prut river.
In 2021, he was awarded the Excellence Award for his performance in conducting art. In January 2022, the television channel Jurnal TV on the show „Winds, Waves” awarded him the „Man of the Year 2021” award and the Thinker trophy from Hamangia.
