Philharmonic Choir

Philharmonic Choir History

Starting from the nucleus offered by Camerata Felix, to which students of the Faculty of Music from the University of Oradea were added, in 1997, at the initiative of the director of the philharmonic, Romeo Rîmbu, the Oradea Philharmonic Choir was born.

The conductor Avram Geoldeș said: “… The Philharmonic Choir is an indispensable link in the musical life of Oradea. Through it, the local concert activity will be colored essential, offering the institution-wide possibilities of repertoire diversification in the sense of the systematic cultivation of vocal-symphonic creations “.

Avram Geoldeș dedicated his work to the creation of the Oradea State Philharmonic Choir, currently, the repertoire list of the ensemble holding over 200 titles, covering practically all stylistic eras and musical genres: a cappella, cantata, oratorio, requiem, opera, symphony with choir and so on

Under the guidance of conductor Avram Geoldeş, in addition to the vast repertoire approached, the choir added to its record 2 two prints: “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom” by Liviu Comes (1998) and a C.D. edited in Vienna (1999).

On August 28, 2005, conductor Avram Geoldeș passed away, leaving all those who knew him deeply saddened. The choir, whose founder and trainer had died out, aims to continue its activity in the same spirit of valuable artistic creations.

The 2005-2006 season finds the choir in a period of transition. The new conductor, the young Carmen Bocioc (b. 1978), a graduate of the Faculty of Music in Oradea, a direct disciple of the conductor Avram Geoldeș, studying in art the art of choral conducting with the master Geoldeș, tried to keep the choir at the same professional level, approaching with seriousness and success works such as: “The Byzantine Easter Oratory” by Paul Constantinescu, “Messiah” by Handel, “Requiem” by Mozart or “The Last 7 Words of Jesus on the Cross” by Cesar Franck.

From the autumn of 2006 until now, at the helm of the Philharmonic Choir, we meet the conductor Lászlóffy Zsolt (b. 1973). Conductor, Ph.D. in composition (Budapest Academy of Music), associate professor at the Partium Christian University of Oradea, Lászlóffy Zsolt is a contemporary artist whose training is based on the famous and appreciated music school of Cluj, as well as important European music centers. from Austria (Wiener Musikseminar), Germany (Stockhausen-Kurse), France, Italy and Hungary.

Lászlóffy Zsolt delivers a new breath in the life of the ensemble, coming with the conducting technique of a traditional music school, which is the musical creations approached by the choir under his guidance: “Advent Antiphons” by Bob Chilcott, “Messa in G major ”By Francis Poulenc,“ O sacrum convivium ”by Olivier Messiaen or“ Our Father ”by Ovidiu Iloc (choir member),“ Te Deum ”by Kodály Zoltán,“ Miorița ”by Sigismund Toduță.

With a high level of professional training, Lászlóffy Zsolt always manages to enrich the choir’s repertoire. Vocal-symphonic concerts are completed by a cappella and opera performances.

Although it is considered to be a relatively young choir, the over 20 years of activity have transformed the ensemble into a choir with tradition, which can seriously approach any musical genre. This choir found in Oradea a favorable environment for manifestation and professional development both through the inexhaustible sources of talent, students and graduates of the Faculty of Arts-Department of Music, University of Oradea, Partium Christian University and Emanuel University and through the prism music-loving audience, a true supporter, active participant and indispensable in the choral musical life of Oradea.