The first Early Music Festival was organised in Miercurea Ciuc in 1980, and it is currently the longest-running festival in Romania.
It was not by accident that Miercurea Ciuc undertook the promotion of early music: it is well known that in the 17th century Joannes Caioni (1629-1687), a culture creator and cultural leader, lived and worked at the monastery of Şumuleu Ciuc, a place that now is part of our town.
Early music has been defined by the festival organizers as the totality of musical creations of bygone eras – the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque–, interpreted on the original instruments or on authentic replicas of such instruments, the way they used to be interpreted in their respective ages.
The festival was banned during the dictatorship (between 1986 and 1989), and could be relaunched only after the change of regime. For over a decade, it was jointly organised by the local and county governments.
Since 2005, the organisers of the festival have been the Cultural Center of Harghita County and the Mayor’s Office of Miercurea Ciuc. During the past few years, the festival has featured performers from many European countries, including the most outstanding masters of early music.
The festival offers musicians the opportunity to participate in various professional courses: since 2008, the Early Music Summer University, featuring instrument masterclasses and lectures, has been one of the regular programmes of the festival. In 2008, the Miercurea Ciuc Early Music Festival became a member of the European Early Music Network (REMA).
The Baroque Festival Orchestra, the festival’s own production has presented concerts during the recent years that have been greatly valued both by professionals and the public.
The Miercurea Ciuc Early Music Festival has received the EFFE Label, Europe’s quality stamp for remarkable arts festivals, and has become a member of the Hungarian Association of Transylvanian Festivals in 2020.
