CristianMăcelaru
- Conductor


About Cristian
Music Director Designate, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director, Orchestre National de France Chief Conductor, WDR Sinfonieorchester Artistic Director, George Enescu International Festival and Competition Music Director, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Cristian Măcelaru is Music Director Designate of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, Chief Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester, Artistic Director of the George Enescu Festival and Competition, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Interlochen Center for the Arts’ World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director and Conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
2024/25 season highlights include Cristian’s debut with the Oslo Philharmonic and return engagements with the Wiener Symphoniker, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Cristian also has regular guest conducting relationships with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Philharmonia Orchestras.
In North America, he has led the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he was Conductor-in-Residence for three seasons.
His latest recording is of Enescu Symphonies with the Orchestre National de France on Deutsche Grammophon.
Contact
For availability and general enquiries:

Alison Nethsingha

Celia Willis
Representation
General Management: Askonas Holt
North and South America: Primo Artists
Season Highlights
News
Press
Măcelaru conducts Brahms with Simon Trpceski and WDR Sinfonieorchester
Linn RecordsNov 2023"Here under Măcelaru we’re offered a perfectly judged opening, powerful in tone, with brass backed by timps, railing strings, the sombre-sounding second subject illuminated from the inside."
- Gramophone
- 01 December 2023
Măcelaru conducts Berg's Violin Concert with Orchestre National de France
ParisNov 2023The truth is that Măcelaru knew how to conduct the French National Orchestra with the chamber music that Berg's score requires. And also pamper, envelop without overwhelming, the soloist.
- Mundo Clasico
- 20 November 2023
Cristian Măcelaru performs with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
Auditorium Rainier III de Monte CarloJan 2022Sa venue en Principauté n’est pas passée inaperçue. Il a transcendé l’orchestre. His arrival in the Principality did not go unnoticed. He transcended the orchestra. En effet, l’interprétation que nous a donnée de cette symphonie Cristian Măcelaru nous a procuré un total bonheur. Il nous a entraînés avec jubilation dans les tours et détours de cette symphonie pleine de surprises, aux élans sans cesse renouvelés – cette œuvre qui a des allures de conte et donne l’impression de nous raconter une succession de belles histoires. Cristian Măcelaru a ménagé maints suspens, a coloré l’œuvre de mille nuances, a suscité des pianissimos infimes et des fortissimos tonitruants dans lesquels l’orchestre avait une parfaite cohésion. Cristian Măcelaru's interpretation of this symphony gave us total happiness. He took us with glee through the twists and turns of this symphony full of surprises, with its constantly renewed impulses - this work that has the appearance of a tale and gives the impression of telling us a succession of beautiful stories. Cristian Măcelaru created many suspenseful moments, coloured the work with a thousand shades of colour, and produced minute pianissimos and thunderous fortissimos in which the orchestra was perfectly cohesive.
- Concerto Net
- 15 January 2022
La direction tendue et énergique de Cristian Măcelaru, frénétique par moments, est excellente. Cristian Măcelaru's taut and energetic conducting, frenetic at times, is excellent. Cristian Măcelaru fait danser l'orchestre et tous les instruments sont mis en valeur. Cristian Măcelaru makes the orchestra dance, and all the instruments are highlighted.
- Crescendo
- 18 January 2022
Saint-Saëns: Complete Symphonies with Orchestre National de France (CD release)
Nov 2021...soulignons l’extraordinaire subtilité de la direction de Măcelaru, son sens des nuances, la souplesse des articulations, la justesse des tempos. Sous cette baguette frémissante, le National semble avoir retrouvé un nouveau souffle et une nouvelle précision. ...let us emphasize the extraordinary subtlety of Măcelaru's direction, his sense of nuances, the flexibility of the articulations, the accuracy of the tempos. Under this quivering baton, the National seems to have found a new breath and a new precision.
- Real Audio Box
- 26 November 2021
Askonas Holt sends 26 artists and touring partners to BBC Proms 2025

This morning saw the announcement of this summer’s BBC Proms’ line-up, which is set to include performances from 26 Askonas Holt artists and touring partners.
Our Tours and Projects team is proud to once again be bringing the Wiener Philharmoniker to the Proms, following our 2019 collaboration with the orchestra and Bernard Haitink in what marked not only the year of the legendary maestro’s 90th birthday but also the 65th anniversary of his conducting debut. This summer we bring the Wiener Philharmoniker back to the Royal Albert Hall with Franz Welser-Möst for two performances – the first with Berg’s Lulu Suite paired with Bruckner’s Symphony No.9, and the second, Mozart’s Symphony No.38 Prague alongside Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 Pathétique.
Cristian Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France also return in collaboration with Askonas Holt for a French-themed programme that includes Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole and La valse, as well as Bologne’s Violin Concerto and Chausson’s Poème, both with soloist Randall Goosby.
Our Tours and Projects team also brings mandolinist Avi Avital and his Between Worlds Ensemble for their Proms debut as they take the audience on a sonic tour of the countries that border the Black Sea, performing traditional Crimean Tatar music, Turkish folk and klezmer plus works by Bartók and Fazil Say.
Sir Simon Rattle gives two performances this summer; the first sees him team up with the wind, brass and percussion of the London Symphony Orchestra for folk-song arrangements by Vaughan Williams, Grainger and Arnold alongside Gunther Schuller’s trombone concerto. He follows that with his first performance with The Chineke! Orchestra conducting Shostakovich’s Symphony No.10.
Having recently been invited to become an Honorary Member, Robin Ticciati joins the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with soloist Golda Schultz for a programme of songs by Bernstein, Gershwin, Weill alongside Schreker’s Chamber Symphony and Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird. The appearance marks Robin’s first with the COE at the Proms and the ensemble’s first appearance since their 2017 performance under Bernard Haitink.
Edward Gardner is back with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for a 20th-century programme of Debussy’s La mer, Sibelius’s The Oceanides and Ravel’s song-cycle Shéhérazade.
Thomas Adès leads the BBC Symphony in a performance of music from his own opera The Tempest alongside Sibelius’s tone-poem The Swan of Tuonela.
Domingo Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic are joined by trumpeter Pacho Flores in his Proms debut for Arturo Márquez’s Concierto de otoño presented alongside Dvořák’s Symphony No.9 From the New World and Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral.
Peter Whelan makes his Proms debut conducting the Irish Baroque Orchestra in Handel’s Alexander's Feast with countertenor Hugh Cutting as soloist. The performance marks the ensemble’s Proms debut, making them only the second Irish orchestra to perform at the Festival in its more than 125-year history.
Conductor Laureate Tadaaki Otaka returns with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 with soloist Vadym Kholodenko, alongside Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra. Recent signing Benjamin Grosvenor also joins forces with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton of Ryan Bancroft for Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.
Cellist Johannes Moser presents the UK premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s concerto Before we fall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Eva Ollikainen. Next month sees Johannes give the world premiere of the piece with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Dalia Stasevska.
Four Askonas Holt singers make debuts in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District with the BBC Philharmonic. Amanda Majeski, John Findon and Ava Dodd all make their Proms debuts as Katerina, Zinovy and Aksinya/Convict respectively, while Nicky Spence returns making a role debut as Sergey.
Also making their Proms debuts are Jasmin White who joins the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Luisi for Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, and Sarah Dufresne who also makes a role debut singing Sister Genovieffa in Suor Angelica with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Antonio Pappano.
Jess Dandy and Ashley Riches return with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra singing Stravinsky’s last major work - the Requiem Canticles, and Laurence Kilsby joins the BBC Symphony Orchestra for Arthur Bliss’ The Beatitudes.
Outside of London, Benjamin Hulett joins the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Glasshouse as soloist for Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.2 Lobgesang. Also at the Glasshouse, Ema Nikolovska celebrates the centenary of the birth of Pierre Boulez with his Le marteau sans maître as part of a touring project with guitarist Sean Shibe and friends.
The BBC Proms 2025 runs from Friday 18 July to Saturday 13 September, with all performances broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and streamed on BBC Sounds. To view the full line-up, please click here.
- Amanda Majeski
- Ashley Riches
- Ava Dodd
- Avi Avital
- Benjamin Grosvenor
- Benjamin Hulett
- Cristian Măcelaru
- Domingo Hindoyan
- Edward Gardner
- Ema Nikolovska
- Hugh Cutting
- Jasmin White
- Jess Dandy
- Johannes Moser
- John Findon
- Laurence Kilsby
- Nicky Spence
- Pacho Flores
- Peter Whelan
- Robin Ticciati
- Sarah Dufresne
- Sir Simon Rattle
- Tadaaki Otaka
- Thomas Adès CBE
- Avi Avital: Between Worlds
- Orchestre National de France
- Wiener Philharmoniker
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