The seventh edition of Classix Festival begins in Iași under the theme Art & Mind. This year’s edition proposes a journey that explores the relationship between art and thought, inviting the audience to an experience built with rigor, clarity, and openness, where music becomes a space for reflection, dialogue, and connection.

In the festival, over 50 works signed by more than 40 composers will be heard, performed by over 60 international artists from 17 countries. The edition’s program includes 9 official concerts, 66 masterclass sessions, 3 panels, 2 exhibitions with openings, 1 dialogue, an evening of short films, a guided tour, a pop-up concert, a surprise flash mob, and 3 creative grants, which will be presented in a special showcase dedicated within the festival. These grants support the artistic development of the new generation and consolidate Classix’s mission to create real contexts for the affirmation of emerging artists. The entire program configures a broad platform for the meeting between music, visual arts, critical reflection, and community.

Organized by the Association of Creative Industries and Showberry, the festival brings together events held in emblematic spaces of the city of Iași, such as the Roman Catholic Cathedral “Saint Virgin Mary, Queen”, the Culture Palace, the “Mihai Eminescu” Central University Library, the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater, MINA Museum Iași, and the Unirii Hall. In parallel, between March 1 and 19, the Classix in Focus program completes the concert experience through interdisciplinary dialogue, exhibitions, screenings, and cultural interventions that extend the edition’s theme to the intersection zones of culture, education, society, and public policies.

The opening concert, Genesis, takes place on March 1, from 19:30, at the Roman Catholic Cathedral “Saint Virgin Mary, Queen” in Iași and marks the direct encounter with the cathedral’s organ and the city’s musical heritage. The program is built in dialogue with the liturgical space and brings back to attention the moment of the inauguration of the first Catholic organ in Iași, at the end of the 18th century, when Giuseppe Sarti was present in the city. Raimondo Mazzon (IT) will perform on the organ – an organist designated by Corriere della Sera as “one of the five young people who will save Italy” and winner of the MDW Great Talent Award 2023, alongside Maria Rădeanu (RO) – soprano and Classix Collective (RO). The program brings together Messa solenne by Vincenzo Petrali, the aria “Lungi dal caro bene” from the opera Giulio Sabino by Giuseppe Sarti, Summa by Arvo Pärt, Chaconne in G minor, Z. 730 by Henry Purcell, and Sonata da chiesa in C major, K. 336 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

On March 2, from 16:00, in the Hall of Lost Steps of the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, the opening of the interactive multimedia installation The Singing Garden Symphony takes place, created by visual artists Andrei Cozlac (RO), Radu Marțin (RO), and Cătălin Marinescu (RO). The installation transforms the audience’s interaction with natural elements into a real-time sound generation process, each touch contributing to a generative composition in continuous transformation. The opening will take place in the presence of the artists and festival organizers, and the installation can be visited between March 3 and 15, between 10:00 and 19:00.

On the same evening, the Voces del Amor concert takes place on March 2, from 19:00, in the Gaudeamus Hall of the Student Culture House in Iași and proposes a meeting between chamber music and flamenco expression. The concert is supported by Ensemble Bayona (ES/CH), consisting of Eros Jaca (ES) – cellist and artistic director, María Florea (ES) – violinist, Simone Roggen (CH) – violinist, María Moros (ES) – violist, and Camille Sublet (CH) – pianist, alongside Mariola Membrives (ES) – cantaora. The program includes works by Antonín Dvořák, Francisco Coll, and Manuel de Falla, and the concert is completed by a choreographic moment performed by Adora Tănase (RO) – ballerina.

The Cities, Culture & Power dialogue takes place on March 3, from 12:00, at Braunstein Palace and is dedicated to the relationship between culture, public administration, and city identity. The discussion brings together Anca Lupeș (RO) – cultural manager and founder of Mastering the Music Business, Andrei Popov (RO) – executive director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest, Bogdan Trîmbaciu (RO) – director of the Project Management Unit within the Ministry of Culture, and Gabriella Bergman (DK) – manager of the Esbjerg Ensemble. The moderator is Mihai Bulai (RO) – vice-dean of the Faculty of Geography and Geology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași. The meeting proposes an applied reflection on how culture can shape public policies and influence the strategic positioning of cities in a European context.

On the same day, the Rhapsody in Motion concert takes place on March 3, from 19:00, in the Gaudeamus Hall of the Student Culture House in Iași and is supported by Esbjerg Ensemble (DK). On stage will perform Tim Crawford (UK) – violin, Catherina Lee (AU) – violin, Michel Camille (UK) – viola, Pau Codina Masferrer (ES) – cello, David Daniel Dinu (RO) – oboe, Ron Chen-Zion (IL) – clarinet, Kerstin Thiele (SE) – flute, Samuel Rouleau (CA) – bassoon, Christian Martínez (CO) – percussion, Valdemar Wenzel (DK) – piano, and Joke Wijma (NL) – horn. The program includes works by George Enescu, Carl Nielsen, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Herman David Koppel, as well as the Romanian premiere of the work From Where I See the Sun Dive into the Ocean by Lil Lacy, configuring a sound path that crosses the Nordic tradition, Eastern European modernism, and contemporary creation.

Also on March 3, from 20:00, at Acaju, the short film evening Ars Electronica Animation Festival On Tour takes place, organized in partnership with the Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest. The event proposes an evening of screenings dedicated to contemporary digital animation, with curated selections from the Ars Electronica Animation Festival 2025, exploring the relationship between technology, society, environment, and the digital imaginary.

On March 4, from 12:00, at Negru Zi, the Black Coffee, White Pages dialogue is dedicated to the creative process and artistic block. Participants include Gabriella Bergman (DK) – cultural manager and director of Esbjerg Ensemble, Ștefan Diaconu (RO) – musician and composer, manager of Musica Coloris Publishing, and Paul Pintilie (RO) – musician and academic at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași. The moderator is Izabela Vieriu (RO) – composer and conductor. The discussion addresses the mechanisms of creation, performance pressure, and strategies through which artists can transform blocks into a catalyst for expression.

The exhibition Gustav Klimt and the Künstler-Compagnie at Peleș opens on March 4, from 16:00, at the “Vasile Pogor” Museum – Junimea House and is curated by Dr. Antonela Corban, researcher and art historian. The opening takes place in the presence of the curator and Andrei Popov (RO) – executive director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest. The exhibition is dedicated to the period when Gustav Klimt, alongside Ernst Klimt and Franz Matsch, realized the decorative program of Peleș Castle between 1883 and 1886 and brings to the fore the cultural connections between the Romanian and Viennese spaces.

On the same day, the Classix Pop-Up Concert takes place on March 4, from 17:30, in Atrium Palas Iași, where members of the Esbjerg Ensemble (DK) support a concert in public space, bringing the chamber music repertoire into an open and accessible urban context. The event is part of the festival’s direction to extend the artistic experience beyond concert halls and to create direct encounters between artists and the general public, in the midst of the city’s daily flow.

Also on March 4, from 19:00, in the Honor Hall of the Iași Palace of Culture, the Love Frequencies concert brings to the stage Duo Minerva (AT) – Johanna Gossner (AT), clarinet, and Damian Keller (AT), accordion. The program brings together works by Kurt Weill, Nino Rota, Georges Bizet, Erik Satie, Bart Howard, Django Reinhardt, Fritz Kreisler, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mordechai Gebirtig, Gustav Mahler, and Herbert Pixner, alongside compositions signed by the two artists. The concert proposes a dialogue between classical tradition, jazz, and chanson, exploring the contrasts between fragility and passion, rigor and expressive freedom, in an evening built on the sound intimacy of the clarinet and the accordion.

On March 5, the ARTing Minds panel is dedicated to the relationship between art, cognition, and critical thinking and brings together Ioan Milică (RO) – director of the “Mihai Eminescu” Central University Library in Iași, Oltița Cîntec (RO) – teatrologist, Matei Bejenaru (RO) – visual artist and professor at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași, and Luiza Sfîcă (RO) – editor of Alecart magazine. The moderator is Emil Munteanu (RO) – MERITO professor. The meeting proposes an analysis of how art shapes critical thinking and contributes to the development of a reflective society.

On the same evening, from 19:00, in the Aula of the “Mihai Eminescu” Central University Library in Iași, the In Between concert, supported by Esbjerg Ensemble (DK), brings to the fore a program that brings together works by Per Nørgård, Carl Nielsen, Igor Stravinsky, and Robert Schumann. The ensemble formed by Tim Crawford (UK), Catherina Lee (AU), Michel Camille (UK), Pau Codina Masferrer (ES), David Daniel Dinu (RO), Ron Chen-Zion (IL), Kerstin Thiele (SE), Samuel Rouleau (CA), Christian Martínez (CO), Valdemar Wenzel Most (DK), and Joke Wijma (NL), proposes a path of contrasts, in which music comes to life both on the piano and on the saw, exploring the boundaries between experiment, modernism, and romanticism.

The A Matter of Time concert takes place on March 6, from 19:00, at MINA Museum Iași and brings to the stage Sarah Nemtanu (FR) – violin, concertmaster of the Orchestre National de France and, from 2026, of the Orchestre de Paris, Dragoș Cantea (RO/NO) – piano, and Anita Graef (US) – cello. The program includes works by Georg Friedrich Händel, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Amy Beach, and the Trio by Maurice Ravel, building a musical arc that crosses Baroque, Romanticism, and early modernity.

On March 7, from 11:30, in the Unirii Hall in Iași, the opera in concert The Cunning Little Vixen, by Leoš Janáček, is presented in a version adapted for children, in Romanian, designed to facilitate the young audience’s access to the opera universe. The production brings together soloists selected through national casting and 18 instrumentalists on stage, under the baton of conductor Kristoffer Wøien (NO), and proposes a structured introduction to the musical and theatrical language of opera, preserving the essence of the original score and integrating the educational dimension into the artistic experience.

On the same day, the Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy in the Global Macroeconomy dialogue takes place on March 7, from 14:00, at Balș House – “Eduard Caudella” Hall and analyzes the relationship between culture, institutions, and economy. Participants include Dragoș Cantea (RO/NO) – pianist and artistic director of Classix, Amb. Michèle Ramis (FR) – President of the National Commission for UNESCO, Prof. Liviu-George Maha (RO) – Rector of the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, alongside Liviu Jicman (RO) – President of the Romanian Cultural Institute. The moderator is Simona Modreanu (RO) – university professor. The dialogue explores how cultural diplomacy and the symbolic power of art can influence macroeconomic dynamics and international relations.

The evening of March 7, from 19:00, in the Unirii Hall in Iași, is dedicated to the The Sound of Strings concert, supported by the VOŁOSI (PL) ensemble, considered among the most renowned world music artists in Central and Eastern Europe. The ensemble brings to the stage a program that combines Carpathian musical traditions with improvisation and jazz and rock influences, proposing an experience built on dynamism, interpretative freedom, and direct dialogue with the audience, in a concert that explores string expressiveness beyond the borders of the classical repertoire.

On March 8, from 15:00, in Unirii Square, the guided tour Musical Tradition in Iași takes place, organized by the Iași.Travel Association within Classix Festival 2026. The tour proposes an incursion into the city’s sound memory and follows the traces of the composers, teachers, and institutions that shaped the musical identity of Iași, transforming the historical center into a living score.

The edition concludes on March 8, from 19:00, in the Grand Hall of the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași, with La Bellezza – The Gala Concert of Classix Festival 2026. The concert is supported by Enrico Dindo (IT) – cello, winner of the “Rostropovich” International Competition in Paris, Monica Cattarossi (IT) – piano, and Frank Dupree Trio (DE), considered among the most appreciated European ensembles exploring the intersection zone between classical music and jazz. The program includes works by Giuseppe Martucci, Ferruccio Busoni, Ottorino Respighi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Nikolai Kapustin, and George Gershwin, proposing a musical journey that crosses classical tradition, modernism, and improvisation, in a dialogue between rigor and interpretative freedom.