Artistic director and conductor - Mihail Agafița, People's Artist
Hailed as „one of Europe’s most talented young conductors”, in twenty-five years Mihail Agafiţa has conducted over 750 symphonic concerts, operas, and ballet performances with ensembles from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Spain, Finland, the United States, Italy, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Belarus; as well as concerts and tours in Germany, Denmark, Greece, and Portugal.
Born in 1973 in the Republic of Moldova, Mihail Agafiţa studied conducting at the State Institute of Arts in Chisinau (Moldova), later receiving his undergraduate and Master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the National University of Music in Bucharest (Romania), where he studied with the renowned professor Dumitru Goia, under his guidance he studied later more in-depth the master degree in specialization conductic Stylistics – Orchestral conducting. In 2005 and 2007, Mihail Agafiţa participated in masterclasses directed by the well-known conductor Patrick Strub, organized by the Embassy of Germany in Chişinău.
Since 2004, he held the position of Permanent Conductor at the National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, where, in 2013, he was appointed to the prestigious position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Symphonic Orchestra.
Between 2009 and 2013, he held the position of Permanent Conductor of the „Transylvania” State Philharmonic in Cluj, Romania. Mihail Agafiţa has participated in several prestigious international music festivals, where the public and media alike met his performances with great enthusiasm. Over the years, he has collaborated with many famous personalities.
The cooperation with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the appearance at the „George Enescu” International Music Festival with the „Transilvania” Cluj Philharmonic Orchestra (Bucharest, 2011), represents special moments of his career. Also remarkable was his idea to extend this prestigious festival within the Republic of Moldova. This idea was realized through symphonic concerts in Chisinau in 2017 and 2019. Among his other significant realizations worth mentioning are his collaborations with the „George Enescu” Philharmonic, the Romanian National Radio Symphony Orchestra from Bucharest, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana, but also many other important achievements.
In 2010, he became a member of the Musicians’ Union of Republic of Moldova.
His impressive repertoire contains musical works of various genres and styles from pre-classic to contemporary, including works that were performed for the first time.
Since his debut as a conductor, Mihail Agafiţa has been appreciated for his personality and artistic talent, convincing and sensible interpretations, as well as for his refined conducting technique, which allowed him to faithfully reproduce the stylistic particularities inherent in each of the addressed creation.
In 2010 he was awarded the honorary title Master in Art and in 2016 the highest honorary title of the Republic of Moldova in the field of culture – Artist of the People.
As of February 2012, in recognition of the outstanding merits and contribution brought to the lyrical stage, Maestro has been awarded the „Lya Hubic” trophy (Cluj, Romania) and in January 2016 Mihail Agafita holds the „Gavriil Musicescu” trophy awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova for outstanding contribution in promoting the symphonic art and remarkable performances during exceptional events. In 2019, Mihail Agafița was awarded the honorific title „Honorary citizen of Calaras district”. In decembre 2020, he was awarded the prize for Excellence in Art, from TVR Moldova Television, for the strengthening of the common cultural space and contribution to the promotion of art music on both sides of the Prut River.
