"Alexandru Fărcaș" Cultural Association
Alexandru Fărcaș – torso currently displayed at “Gh. Dima” National Music Academy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Artist: Vlad Berte
Presentation of the Association
The Cultural Association “Alexandru Fărcaș” (ACAF) was born as a homage to one of the most outstanding personalities of the Cluj cultural world of the last decades, the baritone Alexandru Fărcaș. Opera soloist with a valuable career, pedagogue, Rector of the “Gh. Dima” National Music Academy and Manager of the Romanian National Opera, founding member of some important cultural foundations in Cluj-Napoca and of some foundations abroad, he was honoured with the presidential distinction of knighthood for special merits in 2002.
The Association is made up of his disciples, established and dedicated artists of the Cluj opera scene, also active in the pedagogical sphere as professors/teachers at the “Gh. Dima” Music Academy and “S. Toduță” High School: Dr Geani Brad, Lecturer – baritone, Dr Ina Hudea, Reader – director, Prof. Anca Mona Mariaș – composer and conductor of the Junior Vip Children’s Choir, Bass Petru Burcă, soloist of the Romanian National Opera Cluj. They set out to carry on the legacy and objectives laid by Master Alexandru Fărcaș during his lifetime, which include:
• promoting high-level music culture
• educational programmes for young pupils and students
• discovering and launching young vocal music talents
• partnerships with similar organisations countrywide and abroad
• organising cultural events (Alexandru Fărcaș Competition, Alexandru Fărcaș Festival, workshops, conferences, recitals)
Although Cluj is a city with a tradition and history in the field of opera music, it has not yet managed to create a student-competitive field that would crown exceptional results through visibility, promotion and financial support.
The Association meets this need by organising the Singing Competition for students, under the aegis of “Gh. Dima” National Music Academy. The competition aims to increase visibility for artists at the beginning of their career, to make the competition on the opera performance market known in an efficient and productive manner, to exchange experiences and best practices for higher education institutions in Romania and beyond.
The pilot edition of the “Alexandru Fărcaș” Competition was held internally between 14-21 January in Cluj within the Academy of Music and had a participation of 30 students (75% of those eligible) of which 11 were awarded prizes.
Goals and objectives of the Association
The goals of the Association are cultural, musical-artistic, instructive-educational, the Association intending to promote classical music and to keep alive in the public memory the name of the master Alexandru Fărcaș.
In achieving its goals, the Association pursues the following objectives:
a. Organising musical events, competitions and festivals;
b. Encouraging, developing and revitalising the local, national and international musical arts and opera movement;
c. Preparing a cultural action plan and ensuring the fundraising required to organise, implement and promote cultural actions;
d. Organising tours in the country and abroad, where the Association’s productions will be presented;
e. Organising and conducting Master-Classes to perpetuate and decipher the artistic musical language;
f. Discover, launch and promote young talents from Romania and abroad;
g. Providing scholarships and other facilities for the training/education of talented young people in the field of music as well as other categories of people targeted by the Association;
h. Inviting artistic personalities from the country and abroad to give lectures, hold workshops, round tables or concerts or to participate in juries within the Association’s programmes; attracting artistic personalities to the Association to support the Association in its activities;
i. Organising events (artistic, cultural, networking, etc.) with the purpose of promoting the Association and raising funds to support the work of the Association;
j. Collaborating with other associations and/or foundations in the country and/or abroad, with a like or similar purpose; the Association may be a member of other organisations with a like or similar purpose, in the country or abroad; the collaboration will not affect the legal personality and activities of the Association; the Association collaborates and ensures collaboration with specialised institutions, non-governmental organisations, legal persons of public or private law and with individuals, without expressing any kind of group interests (political or other), for the achievement of the Association’s purpose;
k. Organising, coordinating and supporting educational programmes for young people, intended to help promote musical culture;
l. Organising and participating in cultural meetings (seminars, symposia, workshops, conferences, colloquia, exhibitions, meetings, debates, training courses, courses) and other events dedicated to subjects deriving from the goals and activities of the Association and on topics of interest to the Association;
m. Organising and developing a network of constant supporters of the Association’s activities;
n. Working with the media to promote cultural actions;
o. Editing, printing, recording, distributing and/or selling audio-visual material with musical content;
p. Developing and implementing a strategy for the achievement of the Association’s aim;
q. Drawing up financing projects in order to obtain funds to fulfil the goals of the Association;
r. Preparation / maintenance / distribution of information and identity materials of the Association: distributing advertising materials of the Association (business cards, stickers, flyers, leaflets, calendars, badges, tags, pennants, greeting cards, etc.);
s. Marketing and management actions and activities related to the economic (income-generating) activities of the Association, necessary according to the nature of the activity concerned;
t. Actions and activities necessary for the day-to-day internal functioning of the Association (financial-accounting, secretarial, communications, internal and external public relations, drafting of publications, collection of membership fees and other fees (for competitions and other events), writing projects and submitting applications for funding/sponsorship, organising various fundraising events and other activities aimed at securing the necessary income for the Association;
u. Organising any activity that contributes to the fulfilment of the Association’s goal.
President: Geani Brad
Vice-President: Ina Hudea
Executive Director: Petre Burcă
Expert accountant: Mirabela Florea