Alexandru Fărcaș was born into a simple “but hardworking and rich” family, as he himself confessed, which respected religious faith and the values of life. From his parents he learnt that hard work is what can make a man grow, that discipline and respect for others are things without which you cannot build character, that steadfastness and perseverance can make you succeed in everything you set out to do. Growing up in faith, he embraced music as a child in the church choir. He then attended the People’s Art School in Arad, shortly becoming the soloist of the men’s choir of the CFR Workshops in Arad. In 1962 he graduated from “Gh. Dima” Conservatory of Cluj Napoca.

After finishing his studies he was a professor in the department of singing-opera and musical theatre direction, which he served until the end of his life. Since 1990 he was rector of the Music Academy of Cluj for ten years, then director of the Romanian National Opera in Cluj from 2001 to 2006. From 1993 he was member of the European Council for Higher Education, from 1994 he was member of the National Council for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation, founding member of the Sigismund Toduță and Gheorghe Dima Foundations, founding member and honorary president of the Foundation of Professionals of the Sung, Chanted and Spoken Voice, honorary member of the Enesco Foundation of Canada, member of the juries of the international singing competitions “Hariclea Darclee” and “Traian Grozăvescu”, honorary doctor of the University of Oradea, of “Gavril Musicescu” Academy of Music Chisinau, of Pro-Deo International University of New York. In 2002 he was awarded the presidential honour of knighthood for outstanding merits in artistic activity. Under his leadership as rector of the Academy of Cluj-Napoca, 27 of the most outstanding international artistic personalities have received the DHC distinction of this academy. Just to mention a few of them: IANNIS XENAKIS (1993), ERICH BERGEL (1993), MARIN CONSTANTIN (1994), REMUS TZINCOCA (1994), IOAN HOLENDER (1994), MARIANA NICOLESCO (1996), YEHUDI MENUHIN (1998), LIVIU COMES (1998), KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI (1999), VIRGINIA ZEANI (2000).

As a vocal soloist he has given over four hundred recitals and opera performances, both in the country and on official tours abroad. He has tackled baritone parts in vocal-symphonic works, chamber music and over twenty roles in operas (G. Verdi – The Troubadour, Don Carlo, A Masked Ball, La traviata, Rigoletto; G. Puccini – Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Mantaua; P. Mascagni – Cavalleria Rusticana; Leoncavallo – Pagliacci; G. Rossini – The Barber of Seville, Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro, etc.). He was a laureate of the competitions of singing in Roubaix and Toulouse (France), founder and Coordinating Director of the National Centre of Excellence for the development and launch of young performers and performance creators, through which he introduced many young opera artists, opening their way for impressive national and international careers. A rich activity in the field of directing opera is another side of the creative personality of Alexandru Fărcaș: he managed to stage 17 performances, some of which were absolute premieres: Lorelei by Valentin Timaru (1992), The Bald Soprano by Dan Voiculescu (1995), Idomeneo by W.A. Mozart (1998, 1999) and the world premiere of Incarnation of Desire by Luis de Los Cobos (1999), W.A. Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (1999), S. Toduță Master Manole (2001).

Always concerned with personal and institutional development in terms of scientific activity and research, he initiated and supported for 10 years the National Symposium “Vocal Art in all its Hypostases”. The fundamental objective of this symposium was “to carry out interdisciplinary studies and research in order to achieve superior instrumental and vocal performance through phonoaudiological, psychophysiological, and computer analysis of instrumentalists, lyric artists and actors from the higher education system in art, as well as professional institutions of this kind in Romania.”

A dream realised by Professor and Rector Alexandru Fărcaș was to raise the artistic prestige of the Music Academy of Cluj to the highest national and international professional heights. The school’s performance seasons rivalled in terms of complexity and repertoire those of professional performing arts institutions in the city and the country. The tours of young artists’ ensembles, the festivals, competitions and scientific symposia initiated and carried out with immense efforts during the ten years he was at its helm, fully contributed to putting the academy on the map of the most important cultural and artistic centres of Romania at that time.

An outstanding personality, he succeeded in ennobling the “Gh. Dima” Music Conservatory with the title of Academy and the Romanian Opera of Cluj with that of National Opera.