Floralia Ensemble

The vocal-instrumental ensemble Floralia of the Religious Music field of specialization in the Faculty of Performance, Composition and Theoretical Music Studies of the ”George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iasi, conducted by Irina Zamfira Dănilă, PhD, was founded in 2007, initially as a psaltic choir, under the guidance of Rev. Florin Bucescu, PhD, a well-known folklorist, professor of psaltic music and a reputed Romanian specialist in Byzantine Studies. The group is unique because of its mixed-gender membership - and has distinguished itself by participating in international festivals in Ukraine and Romania and by giving concerts in Chisinau (Republic of Moldova), Iasi, Piatra Neamt, Onești. Recently, "Floralia" has also collaborated in two concerts with the renowned traditional music performer Grigore Leșe.

The main objective of the Floralia ensemble is to promote, in Romania and abroad, the old music, the authentic Romanian and Balkan folklore, certainly valuable as part of the national and world heritage. The ensemble's repertoire consists of ancient carols from George Breazul's anthology, worldly songs from Anton Pann's folklore collections, as well as peasant folklore and psaltic music. Being open to Balkan folklore, the ensemble has introduced traditional Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian songs in some concerts.

In order to perform as authentically as possible the repertoire of worldly songs transposed to musical notation by Anton Pann, as well as authentic Romanian and Balkan folk songs, traditional instruments from the Romanian folk taraf were integrated in the ensemble: the violin, the flute and the cobza, together with some specific oriental folk instruments, such as the Constantinopolitan lute, the kanon, the duduk, the djembe or the oboe/clarinet.

”Floralia” ensemble records:

• ”Anton Pann – Buchet de cântece de lume” (Anton Pann – A Collection of Worldly Songs) – Trinitas Record House of the Romanian Patriarchate – 2018 (length: 69’43’’)
• „Colinde vechi românești” (Old Romanian Christmas Carols) – Trinitas Record House of the Romanian Patriarchate – 2018 (length: 48’02’’).

Irina Zamfira Bucescu-Dănilă

Irina Zamfira DĂNILĂ. She was born in 1970 in Iasi, Romania. PhD in Music in 2011 at “George Enescu” University of Arts – Iaşi, with a thesis on The Valorization of the Byzantine and Psaltic Source in the Creation of Composers From Moldavia. MA in music at “George Enescu” University of Iaşi, Twenty^th Century Musical Thought – Synthesis and Perspectives (2003-2004); BA at “George Enescu” National University of Arts Iaşi, Faculty of Composition, Musicology, Musical Pedagogy and Theatre (1997-2002); MA in Physics at “Al. I. Cuza” University Iaşi; (1994-1995); BA at “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iaşi, Faculty of Physics (1989-1994). She has earned fellowships from New Europe College and Music Institute for Doctoral Advanced Studies in Bucharest (2012-2013).

Byzantinologist, musicologist, teacher assistent at the Faculty of Music Performance, Composition, Theoretical Musical Studies of “George Enescu” National University of Arts (GENUA), Department of Theoretical Musical Studies for the disciplines: Theory of Byzantine Music, Folk music, Ethnomusicology (BA level), Byzantine Musicology (MA level). Participation in national and international symposia. Over 65 studies and articles in the domain of musicology and musical bizantinology published in professional journals. Published books: The Valorization of the Byzantine and Psaltic Source in the Creation of Composers From Moldavia, Iasi, Artes, 2015, The Catalogue of Sacred Music Manuscripts of Moldova (XI-XX centuries), Iasi, Artes, 2010 (in collaboration), The Folklorist and Byzantinologist Priest PhD Florin Bucescu - 75 years, Iasi, Artes, 2011 (coordinator). Editor of musicological volumes: Florin Bucescu and Viorel Bârleanu – ”Musical Folklore - Moldova. Studies, collections, transcripts”, Iași, Artes, 2018; Florin Bucescu – ”Musical Byzantinology - Studies and articles. The psaltic liturgy in the third mode”, Iași, Artes, 2018. Member of the editorial comitee of the Journal of Byzantine Arts, “Byzantion romanicon” (since 2007) and of the Journal of Musicology, “Artes” (since 2013). Member of the juries of traditional and psaltic music national festivals. Conductor of the vocal-instrumental ensemble “Floralia” of GENUA (since 2008). Two CDs of old Romanian music recorded with the ensemble (“Trinitas” Records, Bucharest, 2018).