Gabriel Bebeșelea

Gabriel Bebeșelea is a dynamic and widely recognized conductor, known for his artistic sensitivity and commitment to musical exploration. He is currently Principal Conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest and Artistic Director of Musica Ricercata, an orchestra and festival dedicated to historically informed performance. Since 2023, he has also served as Resident Conductor of the Banatul Philharmonic in Timișoara, where he has led major projects such as Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder and concert performances of complete operas including Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Enescu’s Œdipe.

Renowned for his versatility, he maintains an active international career, collaborating with ensembles such as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Tonkünstler Orchestra, among many others.

Recent highlights include his return to the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, concerts with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, and performances in major venues such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Kölner Philharmonie. He has also conducted the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra at the prestigious George Enescu Festival.

In opera, he became the youngest Principal Conductor of the Iași National Opera (2011) and later of the Cluj-Napoca National Opera (2015). From 2016 to 2023, he served as Principal Conductor of the Transylvania Philharmonic.

Committed to repertoire rediscovery, he founded Musica Ricercata in 2017 to bring forgotten works back to life, with notable recordings including Enescu’s oratorio Strigoii.

He studied with masters such as Bernard Haitink and Kurt Masur, has received awards in international competitions, and holds a doctorate summa cum laude from the National University of Music in Bucharest.