Constanța courts Europe’s major stages with new Cazino Music Festival

This autumn, Constanța is positioning its historic Casino as a destination for major European music. The first Cazino Music Festival begins on September 12 and will bring musicians and international ensembles to the building’s ballroom for 11 consecutive weekends.

The festival runs through November 22 under the artistic direction of Ioan Holender, a prominent figure in the international opera world who led the Vienna State Opera for nearly two decades. Its program combines chamber music, vocal recitals, jazz and crossover, bringing artists from several generations and European musical traditions to the Black Sea city.

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The most important thing is for something to happen inside the Casino that matches what the building represents on the outside. The common thread must remain quality.

“The most important thing is for something to happen inside the Casino that matches what the building represents on the outside,” Holender said. “The common thread must remain quality.” He said audiences should not feel they need prior knowledge of music to enjoy it, but should arrive open-minded and curious. If spectators leave saying, “I want to come again,” he added, the festival will have succeeded.

The Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization, a partner in organizing the festival, sees the event as part of a broader effort to extend the coastal destination beyond the summer season. Its president, George Măndilă, said Romanian audiences had long looked toward Vienna and other major European capitals to hear artists of this kind. This autumn, they can hear them in Constanța, in a venue with a distinctive identity.

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You can come without knowing. But you have to come with an open mind and have the curiosity to stay. If the spectator says, “I want to come again,” then we have succeeded.

The opening weekend on September 12 and 13 will feature the Janoska Ensemble, made up of brothers Ondrej, Roman and František Janoska and double bassist Julius Darvas. The ensemble regularly performs at Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, and Seoul Arts Center. It has also worked with artists including Elīna Garanča and Rolando Villazón.

Organizers hope concerts in September, October and November will encourage visitors to spend two or three days in Mamaia-Constanța. Măndilă said cultural events could help create a tourism season that continues well beyond summer.

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Culture can build a tourist season that continues long after summer.