The Constanța Tourism Destination, through the Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization, together with the Constanța Casino, announces the launch of a major cultural partnership dedicated to developing an international classical music festival in Constanța, under the artistic direction of Maestro Ioan Holender, the longest-serving director of the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper).
The press conference took place yesterday, October 16, 2025, at the Constanța Casino, where Maestro Holender confirmed his involvement in creating a new international festival to be held in the fall of 2026 in the Casino’s concert hall. The musical performances will be scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays, and the entire project will be carried out with the support of the Constanța City Hall and the Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization.
“Every weekend during the festival, the Constanța Casino will host an event centered on music—that universal language through which every possible emotion, desire, thought, feeling, or hope is conveyed. Music can touch people’s souls if it is chosen in the right compositions. You don’t need to know a specific language, a particular composer, or understand the subject matter. It’s enough to be present and enjoy yourself, and my hope is to achieve, through careful selection and what is conveyed through music—by artists and instrumentalists—a level of quality as close as possible to, or equal to, the Casino building itself. […] In terms of content, it will be a classical music festival, a mix ranging from Mozart to well-known music of today. My role is to propose and coordinate the artistic lineup for these concerts with the Casino team in Constanța. Tickets will not be free, but they will be affordably priced, because everything of quality comes at a price. A direct consequence of these performances would be to attract foreign tourists to the city of Constanța, a city of great historical and cultural significance,” said Ioan Holender during the press conference held yesterday at the Constanța Casino.
During the conference, representatives of the Casino and the Destination Management Organization emphasized the importance of collaboration in strengthening Constanța’s cultural profile.
“Through this partnership between the Constanța Tourist Destination and the Constanța Casino, we are demonstrating that our city has the strength and vision to claim its place on Europe’s cultural map. Maestro Ioan Holender is a guarantee of excellence, and this festival will become an annual landmark, generating a new type of tourism: elite cultural tourism by the sea,” said George Măndilă, president of the Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization.
The Constanța International Classical Music Festival rounds out the series of cultural events launched following the official reopening of the Casino on May 21, 2025. Since then, over 175,000 visitors have crossed the threshold of this iconic seaside building, confirming the growing interest in cultural tourism and reinforcing Constanța’s position as a European destination for culture and elegance.
The Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization thus continues to fulfill its mission of promoting the city and the resort as a place where tradition, heritage, and culture blend with quality tourism. Through initiatives such as this festival, the Mamaia-Constanța DMO reaffirms its role as a catalyst for sustainable development and for reconnecting Constanța to Europe’s major cultural and tourist circuits.