On October 10, 2017, Eugen Doga's anniversary concert took place at Oradea Philharmonic (Romania). 10.10.2017

“My appearance here is symbolic. We got to know each other. I am glad that tonight I made new friendsin Oradea” –said Maestro Eugen Doga. For some viewers it was the first encounter with the composer. Although most Romanians know his music, few associate their favorite waltz with the name of the person who created it.

Eugen Doga’s 80th anniversary concert consisted mainly of ballads, tangos and waltzes (including the well-known waltz from the film My Sweet and Tender Beast), as well as a fragment from the ballet Venanciabased on Latin American motifs, along with "Intermezzo" and other works. The concert featured vocalists Mariana Bulikanu, Dumitru Mitu, Christina Scarlat, Sergiu Punga, and conductor Mihai Agafica. VasileIove (pan-flute) and Vitalie Advakhov (accordion) performed "Syrba", a piece inspired by folk music, which delighted the audience and evoked a storm of applause.

Eugen Doga also presented his new pieces composed to poems of Moldovan poets. His romances are a narrative about Veronica Mikle’s and Mihai Eminescu’s love: “It is a dialogue between two geniuses, between two creative spaces”–as he describes them. The concert also featured songs set to verses by GrigoreVieru.

The event ended with ‘Friendship Hora’ after which the Maestro expressed the hope that he would return to his“new old friends” again.

The concertwas made possible with the support of Bihor CountyCouncil. At the opening of the event, the vice-president of the institution IoannMang congratulated the Maestro. Additoinal support was provided by the Moldovan Embassy in Romania, the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Republic of Moldova, and Sergey Lunkevich National Philharmonicdirected by Svetlana Bivol.