Farewell Concert for the Ambassadors of Ireland, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and Slovenia
HE Hiroshi Ueda, Ambassador of Japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Societatea Muzicala organized the Farewell Concert in honor of Paul McGarry, Ingrid Kressel, Marjut Akola, Philippe Benoit and Lea Stancic, ambassadors of Ireland, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and Slovenia, at the end of their mandates in Romania.
The concert took place at the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence, 20, Rabat St. on Wednesday, 12th of July at 4pm.
Musicians
Sponsorii evenimentului
Sponsori generali ai Societății Muzicale
Mădălina Pașol is a celebrated Romanian pianist, born in a musicians’ family. Her father was lead cellist in the Romanian Radio Orchestra, where her grandfather performed for over 40 years.
At age 9, she had her first orchestral appearance with the Chamber Sinfonietta Orchestra in the Romanian Athenaeum, performing the F Minor Keyboard Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach.
She is an alumus of the University of Arts in Berlin and studied under Georg Sava and Pascal Devoyon. Winner and laureate of numerous international competitions, including ARD Munchen, Busoni Competition and Artur Schnabel, Mădălina Pașol has appeared on the most important European and Asian venues and recorded among others for Japan Television Production, RBB Kulturradio or the Romanian Television.
In Romania, she performed under the direction of Cristian Brâncuși, Ludovic Bacs, Iosif Conta, Jin Wang, Paul Popescu and Robert Houlihan among other.
Mădălina Pașol made a Dinu Lipatti Last Recital Tribute tour in Europe, appeared at the George Enescu Festival in 2017 and continuously promotes young artists at the International Institute of Arts, which she presides.
In November 2019, she opened a musical salon in Bucharest, Chopin&Champagne, a project initially started in Berlin, meant to make classical music more accessible and attractive, in an intimate atmosphere.
Valentin Vasiliu, baritone, is a native of Bucharest, Romania. Mr. Vasiliu graduated from the Music University of Bucharest, completing the Master Degree in vocal performance and pedagogy in 1991. He also studied for four semesters in the DMA program in voice performance at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He made his operatic debut with the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s “La Boheme” at the Romanian Opera in Cluj-Napoca in June of 1990. This was followed by a decade of appearances on the opera and symphony stages in Europe, the U.S. and the Far East. He performed regularly with the National Opera in Bucharest in roles such as Giorgio Germont in Verdi’s “La traviata,” Escamillo in Bizet’s “Carmen,” Sharpless in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” Schaunard in “La Boheme,” and Peter in Humperdinck’s “Hansel & Gretel.” With the Wiennerkammeroper, Mr. Vasiliu toured Japan, South Korea, and China performing the roles of Figaro in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Leporello in “Don Giovanni.” He made his company debut with the Washington Opera as Count Ceprano in Verdi’s “Rigoletto.”
The 2004/05 season started for Valentin in August with the role of Rigoletto in concert in Hudson, NY under the baton of maestro Anton Coppola continuing with Scarpia in „Tosca” with the New York National Opera in a tour in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.
Recent performances for Mr. Vasiliu are in September 2011 with the National Opera in Bucharest as Telramund in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” (Enescu Festival), and an upcoming debut as Rigoletto on November 11, Telramund on December 3rd, and January 20th 2012 in Bucharest, than appearing in West Palm Beach Opera (Florida) “Madama Butterfly” production as Bonzo on December 16-19, 2011 .
In 2010 Mr. Vasiliu sang the role of Dulcamara in Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore,” with Opera Las Vegas, where he appeared in concert as a soloist in Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” and their Puccini 150th Anniversary Concerts during the 2008-2009 season. He sang the role of Vittelius in the Romanian Radio Symphony broadcast of Massenet’s “Herodiade” in 2009, and for the Palm Beach fundraising gala for cancer research. Between August 2006 and September 2008 Mr. Vasiliu held a full time teaching position as choir and strings orchestra teacher in public schools in Las Vegas, NV.
Twice in February 2006 he performed the role of Germont in Verdi’s “La traviata” in Waterbury, CT under the baton of Anton Coppola. Following in March an appearance as Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly” in Bucharest, Romania, and then returning on March 20, 2006 to Carnegie Hall to perform in the Mozart’s “Requiem” and Bruckner’s “Te Deum” after he previously appeared on June 12, 2005 at the same Carnegie Hall – Isaac Stern Auditorium, performing the Mozart “Requiem” and Baker’s “Requiem of Psalms” with New England Symphony.
For the 2003/04 season, Mr. Vasiliu appeared with the South Texas Symphony, performing Orff’s “Carmina Burana” as a last minute replacement for the baritone soloist. In September 2003 he performed the role of Don Pizarro in the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera’s production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” and then Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria” with the New Dominion Chorale in Alexandria, VA in November.
In December 2003, Valentin was busy with a concert of operatic arias with the Vermont Symphony in Burlington and the role of Carlo Gerard in the Bob Jones University 2004 production of Giordano’s “Andrea Chenier,” as well as Alfonso in Donizetti’s “La Favorita,” with Opera Belcanto in Washington D.C. In June, he played both Stalin and Kutuzow in the world premiere of “Raoul” at the Goethe Institute in New York.
During the 2001/02 season he was re-engaged by the National Opera in Bucharest to perform in their productions of Bizet’s “Les Pecheurs de Perles” as Nourabad, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” as Leporello, Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Seviglia” as Dr. Bartolo, and in Bizet’s “Carmen” as Ecamillo. In addition, he sang the roles of Sacristan in Puccini’s “Tosca” and Yamadori in “Madama Butterfly,” the last of which he also presented at the Opera Festival in Miskolc, Hungary in June 2002.
Other engagements in recent seasons include Sacristan in “Tosca” with the Washington Opera, the Mozart “Requiem” with The Catholic University at the Kennedy Center, and the four villains in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” with the Summer Opera Company. He was Raphael in Haydn’s “Creation” with both the Washington Chamber Symphony at Kennedy Center and New York’s Canterbury Choral Society. He sang Orff’s “Carmina Burana” with the Alexandria Symphony as well as the role of Antonio in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” with the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center and Verdi’s “Requiem” with New Dominion Chorale.
Valentin Vasiliu speaks Romanian, English, Italian, French, and German fluently. He is a permanent resident of the U.S.
Miruna-Maria Dascălu is a 23-year-old soprano who is a graduate of the National University of Music-Bucharest with a bachelor’s degree in classical singing in 2022. Eager to accumulate more knowledge in the art of vocal technique and interpretation, she is continuing her master’s studies at the same university with her teacher, the well-known soprano Silvia Voinea.
She made her debut in 2022 in the role of the exuberant Cunegonda from the operetta Candide by Leonard Bernstein at the National Operetta and Musical Theater „Ion Dacian” Bernstein directed by Andrei Munteanu and conducted by Constantin Grigorie/ Alexandru Ilie; and the character Jane from the musical Jack, The Ripper by Diego Mecchi having the opportunity to practice more her pop singing technique. Miruna had the honor to sing this role in the world premiere on 1st October 2022.
She participates in numerous masterclasses and improvement courses supported by: artists of international importance such as Ruxandra Donose, Nelly Miricioiu, Leontina Văduva; vocal coaches and conductors such as Lucy Arner, Lioara Maurer, Eleonora Pacetti, Victor Dumănescu, Larisa Gergieva; masters in performing arts, Sharon Mohar.
Her musical curiosities began early with private piano lessons and pop music singing, then she experienced the „mysteries„ of the flute in secondary school. The discovery of classical vocal singing made her say „stop” to her artistic pursuits and she started to focus on defining herself as a lyrical artist.
Over the years she has won numerous awards, among which the most important would be: the Grand Prize, the Remember Enescu Special Prize for the best interpretation of a Romanian work at the „Paul Constantinescu” National Competition for Musical Interpretation and Creation (2021), the 2nd prize at the National Music Olympiad and the Special Prize of the Oltenia Philharmonic for the best performance of an aria (2018), the 1st Prize at the „Victor Giuleanu” National Competition and the Radio Romania Music Prize (2016).
In her repertoire we find a multitude of virtuoso arias and excerpts from all important periods in the history of music, from pre-classicism to modernism, as well as integral roles like those of Mozart’s heroines: Susanna, Despina, Queen of the Night; Olympia from „Les Contes d’Hoffmann„, Maria from „La fille du regiment„, Adela from „Die Fledermaus„ or Lucia Ashton from„ Lucia di Lammermmor„.
Hiroshi Ueda, Ambassador of Japan, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Societatea Muzicala organized the Farewell Concert in honor of Paul McGarry, Ingrid Kressel, Marjut Akola, Philippe Benoit and Lea Stancic, ambassadors of Ireland, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and Slovenia, at the end of their mandates in Romania.
