Artistic director and conductor - Mihail Agafița, People's Artist
Mihail Agafița is a conductor who has reached artistic maturity, recognized for his distinctive style that combines precision with expressiveness and depth of musical understanding reflected in every concert he conducts, thus managing to leave his mark in the international music world, through a vast experience gained over the years and marked by more than 1000 symphonic concerts, opera and ballet performances with ensembles in Romania, Republic of Moldova, Spain, Finland, USA, Russia, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as various tours in France, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Holland and Belgium. His concerts are highly acclaimed and eagerly awaited by music lovers, and the recognition and admiration he enjoys is the reward of a lifetime dedicated to the art of conducting.
Born in 1973 in the Republic of Moldova, Mihail Agafița studied conducting at the State Institute of Arts in Chisinau, graduating from the National University of Music in Bucharest in the conducting class of the distinguished professor Dumitru Goia, under whose guidance he later studied as a master's student in the advanced studies course, specializing in Conducting Stylistics - Orchestral Conducting. In 2005 - 2007 he improved his skills at the master classes held by the renowned conductor Patrick Strub, organized by the German Embassy in Chisinau. Mihail Agafița is now defending his doctoral thesis at the State University of Moldova and completing a master's degree at the National University of Music Bucharest's Postgraduate Programme of Training and Continuous Professional Development in Music Management.
Since 2004 he has been the Resident Conductor of the National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, and since 2013 he has held the prestigious position of First Conductor and Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the same institution.
Between 2009 - 2013 he is the Permanent Conductor of the "Transilvania" Philharmonic in Cluj.
Mihail Agafița attends prestigious international music festivals, where his conducting performance is highly acclaimed by the public and praised by the media.
He works with renowned personalities from the music world.
The most unique moments of his career are his collaboration with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as his performance at the "George Enescu" International Festival (Bucharest, 2011) at the "Transilvania" Philharmonic Orchestra in Cluj, and with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova (Bucharest, 2023). It was also significant to launch the idea of extending this prestigious Festival in the Republic of Moldova, and to realize it with concerts in Chisinau in 2017 and 2019. Also important were the collaborations with the "George Enescu" Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Radio Orchestra in Bucharest, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana, and many other significant achievements.
In 2010, Mihail Agafița became a member of the Union of Musicians of the Republic of Moldova.
His impressive repertoire contains music in various genres and styles ranging from pre-classical to contemporary, including works for premiere performances.
Since the beginning of his conducting career, Mihail Agafița has been appreciated for his personality and artistic talent, for the strength and sensitivity of his approach to the performance of musical compositions, as well as for his flawless conducting technique, which allowed him to faithfully reproduce the stylistic features of each work.
In 2016, by presidential decree, he was awarded the highest honorary title of the Republic of Moldova in the field of culture - "Artist of the People", for outstanding performances and extraordinary stage performance.
For outstanding achievements in the development and promotion of musical art and intensive concert activity, by presidential decree (in 2010, Republic of Moldova), the conductor Mihail Agafița was awarded the honorary title "Master of Arts.".
In February 2012, the Romanian National Opera in Cluj awarded him the "Lya Hubic" award in gratitude for his outstanding contribution to the opera performing arts, and in January 2016, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova awarded him the "Gavriil Musicescu" prize for his exceptional contribution to the development of symphonic art and exceptional performances in remarkable performances.
In February 2018, the prestigious magazine VIP Magazin, following an online public vote, awarded him the honorary title "Man of the Year 2017" in the Culture category, for outstanding achievements and professionalism.
In May 2019, he was awarded with the honorary title "Honorary Citizen of Calarasi District" in tribute to his extraordinary contributions to the development of cultural heritage, as well as his outstanding contributions to promoting symphonic art and outstanding performances in exceptional concerts.
In December 2020, he received the TVR Moldova Award for Excellence in the Arts for promoting musical art and strengthening the cultural common space on both sides of the Prut.
In October 2021, the Union of Musicians of the Republic of Moldova awarded him the Award of Excellence for Performance in Conducting.
