AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENING AT THE “MATEI STEGEREAN” GALLERY
In the heart of the medieval Citadel of Oradea, within the historically rich space of the Princely Palace, the well-known “Matei Stegerean” Gallery proved too small on Thursday evening, March 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM. A large audience was drawn by the charm of a suggestive chamber music concert entitled “Dialogue Between Light and Sound,” performed by students of the Oradea Arts High School.
The event, organized by the International Euro Foto Art Association in partnership with Summit Agro Romania, the Sole Fide Cultural Association, and Visit Oradea, brought together two seemingly opposing yet deeply complementary forms of artistic expression: photography and music.
The evening opened with a welcoming speech by photographer Ștefan Tóth István, who sensitively outlined the subtle relationship between image and sound. In his vision, photography becomes “the art of silence,” while music is “the art of movement,” both meeting within an inner emotional space where images are born from sounds, and sounds take on visual form in the viewer’s emotional memory.
Next, Professor Gabriella Nagy expressed her gratitude to the organizers and teachers involved in the training of young artists, wishing them success at the National Instrumental Performance Olympiad scheduled for March 30 – April 2, 2026, in Cluj-Napoca.
A distinctive feature of the evening was the presentation of an international photographic art exhibition specially organized for this occasion, bringing together works by artists from various parts of the world, displayed on a large screen in the gallery. The musical theme of the images enhanced the concert atmosphere, while the visual projections created a poetic bridge between sight and hearing, between light and vibration.
In this artistic dialogue, the young performers stood out with sensitivity and professionalism: Abrudan Sebastian (trumpet), Antal Anasztázia (piano), and Borbély József (vocals). Under the careful guidance of their teachers, they presented a diverse program spanning different eras and styles, from the refinement of the Baroque to the intensity of Romanticism.
The repertoire included works by great composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Georg Philipp Telemann, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and George Enescu, each piece opening a window into distinct musical worlds.
The accompaniment was professionally provided by the répétiteur teachers, contributing to the coherence and expressiveness of the entire recital. The performances of the young musicians were met with prolonged applause, a sign of the audience’s sincere appreciation.
In the end, the moment was crowned by a symbolic gesture: Ștefan Tóth István offered each performer an album titled “Cultural Bridge Japan – Romania,” a recent publication by Euro Foto Art Publishing House, reflecting the artistic dialogue between two cultures through high-quality photographic works from both countries.
Thus, the evening at the “Matei Stegerean” Gallery remained in the memory of participants not merely as a chamber concert, but as a synesthetic experience in which image and sound vibrated together, giving rise to a genuine and lasting emotion.
Exhibited photos
