DevArt Cultural Association Deva, Cepromin Building 417 Tel./fax +40 354 235 651 E-mail: [email protected] ______

DevArt Cultural Association - Deva

Devart Cultural Association was founded in 2008 in Deva with the main goal to organize major cultural events, mainly in music and film genre. The president in charge is Nicolae Gavrea.

So far, the following events have been organized:

Classical Music Festival MuziCastel - 2009, 2010

The classical Music Festival MuziCastel was held in the Hall Bethlen or Council Hall from Corvinilor Castle and included three evenings of live performances of pre- classical and classical music. Among our guests there were the Violonist Sherban Lupu, well-known for his masterpieces in George Enescu’s interpretation, pan-pipe performer Nicholas Voiculeţ and "Romanian Piano Trio", with Alexandru Tomescu (violin), Răzvan Suma (cello) and Horia Mihail (piano), Collegium Musicum Kronstadt Orchestra conducted by Koichiro Kanno and many others.

Opera and Classical Music Festival Opera Nights - First Edition - July 7 – 10, 2011

The first edition was developed in collaboration with the ArtCor Vienna Agency and carried out with Opera and Ballet National Theatre "Oleg Danovski" Constanta. During the three nights were presented concerts famous arias from operas, concert "Musical Jewelry" and last night, full opera "La Traviata". Casting was international. There were 500 seats available, but organizers took into account to increase the number of seats because the spectators’ number exceeded expectations.

Opera and Classical Music Festival Opera Nights - Edition II - July 12 – 14, 2012

The second edition of the Opera Nights was carried out with the Opera and Ballet National Theatre "Oleg Danovski" Constanta. During the three nights there were the works of Barber of Seville, Rigoletto and cantata Carmina Burana. Casting was international. There were 600 seats available, and the number of spectators over the three nights was over 2000. Opera and Classical Music Festival Opera Nights - Edition III - July 10 – 15, 2013

The third edition of the Opera Nights was carried out with Opera and Ballet National Theatre "Oleg Danovski" Constanta. The festival took place in two different locations - Corvinilor Castle in Hunedoara and Lapidary Esplanade of Magna Curia Palace in Deva. During the five evenings there were presented concerts of arias and duets reunited under the name Gala Verdi – Wagner, operas Don Pasquale, The Elixir of Love and The Troubadour and the musical My Fair Lady. Casting was international. The total number of seats was 2x600 (600 in each location), during the five nights the number of spectators was over 3000.

Opera Nights - Edition IV - July 15 – 20, 2014

The Fourth Edition keeps Magna Curia Palace and Corvinilor Castle as festival locations, with five main performances – operas Carmen, Tosca and Turandot, ballet Don Quijote and operetta Văduva veselă. The Festival brings outstanding news: a masters course for opera singers will take place, supported by soprano Leontina Văduva. The course will be completed through a public concert held by graduates. ______

Our future projects for which we are looking for European partners via Creative Europe – Culture subprogramme

1. Opera Nights Opera and Classical Music Festival (also see operanights.ro website)

Partners

Opera Nights Festival, ever since the first edition, featured artists from many countries, EU or non-EU. We want to develop Opera Nights Festival by giving this event a European dimension and visibility by engaging partners from other EU countries. We are interested in partnerships with cultural associations or similar NGO structures experienced in managing outdoor performances, with which to organize such events, to popularize the Opera Nights Festival in those countries and to ensure the participation of ensembles / artistic bands genre of those countries in the Festival Opera Nights.

Thematic: Performing Arts Subsection: Music Project Title: Festival of Opera and Classical music "Opera Nights" Venues: Deva (Magna Curia Palace) and Hunedoara (Corvinilor Castle) Period: Opera Nights Festival will run from 14th to 19th of July, 2015, but preparing festival takes between six and eight months. Titles of the performances and date of the next edition are generally known in the first week after each edition. Estimated budget: 140.000 Eur (with a EU contribution of 84.000 Eur)

The purpose of the Festival is to produce opera, operetta and ballet performances during five consecutive nights and a night in which the Opera Ball will take place. The performances will be presented by ensembles of opera, operetta and ballet invited not only from Romania, but also from other European Union countries. During the day we plan to organize cultural moments of smaller, related genres - chamber music, jazz, blues, musical entertainment moments that will take place in the two areas and their immediate neighbourhood, also presented by ensembles from Romania and other European countries. Because in the two locations there are many spaces with unconventional appearance, these will be used for exhibitions of plastic arts, photography, contemporary art and experimental arts. Being an event that has already had four successful editions, we would like to finance it mainly with European funds and with international partnerships, giving the festival an international dimension. The "Opera Nights" festival has already become a landmark among the summer cultural events in central , well-known in Romania. The 2014 program was established immediately after the 2013 edition, following the major festivals this model work in Europe, especially the one in Avenches - Switzerland.

Purpose:

The project has two main goals / aims to achieve: - Presentation of a genre - opera - which is entirely absent from the region's cultural offer, because Hunedoara County does not have an opera, operetta, ballet theater or philharmonic orchestra - Highlighting the two sights: Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, built in Gothic style and Renaissance Deva Magna Curia Palace, buit in Renaissance and Baroque style; by a smart and attractive touristic offer, other sights in Hunedoara County can also be promoted, as well as neighbouring counties, such Alba and Sibiu The growing number of viewers imposed diversification in the repertoire and an increase in the quality of the performances. Cultural actions like the festival "Opera Nights" also aim to educate the public into this kind of leisure activities.

Contact: Alexandru Gruian, e-mail: [email protected], tel. +40 722 214 788

2. Green Music Project

Simeria Green Music is a cultural project by which we intend to enlight in a particular manner Simeria Arboretum (aka the Arboretum Simeria), considered as one of the most valuable botanical parks built in English landscaping style in Europe. Details on http://www.icashd.ro/arboretum.html However, we want to improve the cultural offer of the area with a medium sized festival focused on a music genre that is almost completely absent in the county’s cultural landscape – jazz.

The festival would be held annually in early June (starting with 2015), for 3 days, outdoors in park Simeria. We expect the preparations to last for about 5 months, starting with January 2015. Genres such as jazz and blues will be involved in the two daily concerts plus side events during the festival days. We also intend to organize conferences on cultural or environment protection, as Hunedoara County holds first national park in Romania (Retezat National Park, which dates from 1935), Dinosaurs Geopark, etc.

The stage design would be outstanding, demonstrating how technology and design can be „friends” with a protected area. The way in which the stage and the seats would be conceived altogether should form an attraction in itself and would be able to host other similar events.

As partners, there could be the Simeria City Hall and NGO’s partners from EU countries, maybe from regions with parks and large botanical gardens, but also with experience in the management of cultural events.

Estimated budget - 40,000 Eur. (with a EU contribution of 24.000 Eur)

Contact: Alexandru Gruian, e-mail: [email protected], tel. +40 722 214 788

3. Hunedoara ChurchArt Fest

Hunedoara County has the largest number medieval stone church in Romania. The best known is Densuş but there are also , Streisângeorgiu, Peşteana, Colţ, Sânpetru, Ostrov, Lesnic, , Crişcior and Râbiţa Ways of promoting them are completely inexistant. They are all Gothic churches, thus a festival of classical music (generally speaking classical, but Baroque and Gregorian probably would fit best), outdoor concerts held at each one of these churches (each has a special ambiance ) would bring an increase in the number of visitors who would connect this music to the architecture of the area.

It can establish partnerships with municipalities and NGO’s with cultural interests and experience, especially with towns from EU countries where the Gothic style is not the exception, as it is in Romania, but the rule.

The festival would be held every August (starting 2015), for four week-ends, two days every weekend - Saturday and Sunday. We estimate that all preparations will be made in 6 months. At first, we consider four areas with the best preserved churches - Densuş, Sântamaria Orlea, Strei and Colţ. In each of the two nights of the show/week there would be concerts of classical music ensembles - quartets, chamber orchestras, experimental ensembles. There will also be exhibitions and photography contests, conferences on conservation of monuments of medieval art, etc.

Estimated budget is 60,000 Eur (with a EU contribution of 36.000 Eur).

Contact: Alexandru Gruian, e-mail: [email protected], tel. +40 722 214 788