General Information

MEDICINE AND MUSIC ... STRANGE BUT PERFECT JOINING ... WHERE INDEED THIS MYSTERIOUS BUT STRONG CONNECTION COMES FROM?

Perhaps from the antique God Apollo, the one who ideally embodied the aspiration towards harmony through medicine and music� Or maybe from the special vocation of those who dressed the white doctor�s coat devoting themselves to the fight by using every means and methods, or moreover, because of the special need to find some refuge into the mirific world of the harmony of sounds, of the ones involved days and nights along in the permanent battles against pain, disease, suffering.

The Bucharest Doctor's Orchestra was founded in 1954; since then and for more than the following 10 years, it was conducted by the great conductor Master Mircea Cristescu. The initiative taken those days was the appropriate answer for much older concerns of some prominent representatives of the Romanian medical world of the time, both great goers and remarkable amateur performers.

A group of enthusiastic doctors, irremediably fond of music, have to be considered as the initial nucleus of the orchestra. Among these, it is a pleasure for us to mention such names as Dr. Ermil Nichifor, Dr. Emil Bittman, Dr. Gheorghiu, Dr. Dan Peretianu, Dr. Dan Vasiliu, Dr. Marita Titeica, Dr. Vasile Dragomir, Dr. Constantin Bocarnea, Dr. Ion Matei, Dr. Andrei Abraham, Dr. Valter Clemens, Dr. Cornel Katz. Further on there was a long period of intense activity, marked out by a series of great successful concerts on the most famous stages in Bucharest and all over Romania.

The orchestra was permanently encouraged and supported by a most generous and enthusiastic public coming not only from the medical world but also that of the music lovers in Bucharest and in the whole country. Within the artistic landscape of those days, artificially controlled through tematic directioning, the Bucharest Doctors Orchestra, by choosing a most ample and various repertory has always revealed itself as being independent and full of initiative.

Starting from 1964 the conductor's baton was taken over by the eminent doctor and musician Ermil Nichifor, the proeminent leader who dedicated his high passion and professionalism to the orchestra for more than 30 years. The fascinating personality of Dr. E. Nichifor as a conductor, his charm, attachment, modesty and talent have played the role of catalytic elements that metamorphosed the orchestra into a real big family.

Meanwhile, by the site of the founders of the 1954, a new generation of doctors joined the orchestra, some of them even before having accomplished medical studies. Most of them are continuing nowadays to promote the same good old tradition they took over from their predecessors; we enjoy the opportunity to mention, among these such names as: Dr. Mircea Penescu, Dr. Calin Giurcaneanu, Dr. Laurentiu Dasca, Dr. Bogdan Popescu, Dr. Gabriela Perciun, Dr. Mircea Cotolan, Dr. Cristina Isar, Dr. Maria Marcvart, Dr. Alexandru Cornea, Dr. Sorina Mares, Ing. Paul Fischer, Ing. Mihai Perciun, Dr. Horia Beti, Florentina Dihor, Conf. Univ. Dr. Tatiana Noia, Dr. Fiz. Aurelian Isar, Ing. Radu Ianculescu etc.

After the fortuit retirement of master Dr. E. Nichifor from the leadership of orchestra, a new conductor, Master Cristian Brancusi, took over the baton in early 1994 and reunited the dispersed members, thus succeeding to organize the first successful concert in the summer of the same year.

A relevant date for the new form of the activity developed by the orchestra was 1997, when the Foundation "Medicine and Music" was established in Bucharest. The main purposes of the newly created foundation are to develop the activities of the orchestra, to constitute other instrumental and/or vocal music groups also formed by medical graduated personnel and to promote artistic interchanges with similar structures in the country and from abroad.

Last, but not least, some details about the repertory of the Bucharest Doctors Orchestra during over 43 years of activity are to be pointed out. It is a summary of masterpieces of great composers, beginning with preclassic ones, like Vivaldi, Haendel, Bach, Telemann, continuing with main classic ones, like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and finishing with Romanian well-known and appreciated names as Enescu, Jora, Alessandrescu.

We have also to add that some of the most famous Romanian performers, highly appreciated names both in laud and abroad, honoured with their participation the concerts of orchestra. We enjoy the opportunity to mention, on a long list, the names of Valentin Gheorghiu, Ion Voicu, Nicolae Licaret, Mihai Constantinescu, Dan Grigore, Daniel Podlovschi, Gabriel Croitoru, Florin Croitoru, Alexandru Morosanu, and many others.

Another important aspect to be revealed is the constant support and asssistance granted to the young generation of Romanian artists, the concerts of the orchestra being a real talent launching ramp for such names as Serban Nichifor, Cristian Beldi, Iosif Ion Prunner, Mirel Iancovici, Vladimir Mendelson, Florin Ionescu-Galati and many others. And also some doctors interpreters from abroad have been invited to join them as solists.

Finally, it is a pleasure for us to mention that along its entire activity, the Doctors Orchestra friendly cooperated with the Bucharest Orchestra of Engineers. Throughout the years fruitful working together resulted in a series of successful concerts that reunited the members of both orchestras under the same conductor�s baton.