Romanian Cultural Institute in London

When stories travel across borders, they find curious little listeners, colourful drawings, unexpected questions, bursts of laughter, and, for a couple of hours, a room with children dreaming in Romanian. 📚✨

The London stop of Cărturino în diaspora brought the magic of Romanian children’s literature to the Romanian community, with writer T.O. Bobe and illustrator Dan Ungureanu inviting children into the worlds of Where Is the Little Sock? (Unde e șosețica?) and I Want to Be Invisible (Vreau să fiu invizibil).

There were stories to listen to, characters to discover, drawings to create and plenty of imagination to go around. Most importantly, there was that wonderful moment when a book stops being something on a shelf and becomes a shared experience: something to laugh about, talk about, draw and carry home.

Because language lives through stories. And wherever Romanian-speaking children grow up, there should always be stories that help them feel that Romanian is not only a language spoken at home, but a language in which they can imagine entire worlds.

The London edition was organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, in partnership with the Ambasada României în Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii şi Irlandei de Nord and the Consulatul General al României la Londra/ Consulate General of Romania in London, with funding from the Department for Romanians Abroad and Cărturești Foundation.

A big thank you to everyone who helped turn a Saturday morning into a celebration of books, imagination and 🇷🇴.

Photos: Alex Coman

We are delighted to see The Yellow Tie and the extraordinary story of Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache featured in The Guardian, in a deeply personal piece by his son, the film's director Serge Ioan Celebidachi.

The Yellow Tie is in UK cinemas starting this Friday, 9 October. Not to be missed! Dates and locations here: https://www.theyellowtiefilm.co.uk/movie/the-yellow-tie/book-now

Full article in The Guardian can be accessed at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/06/sergiu-celibidache-yellow-tie-film-conductor-serge-father-son

🇷🇴 Unde este România pentru tine? Într-un loc drag, într-o amintire, într-un cântec, într-o poveste de familie sau într-un vis despre viitor?

Institutul Cultural Român / Romanian Cultural Institute lansează cea de-a IV-a ediție a concursului de eseuri „Eu și România”, adresat copiilor și tinerilor români din comunitățile istorice, inclusiv din Republica Moldova, precum și din diaspora.

🔴 Tema ediției din acest an este „România din inima mea” – o invitație de a spune, în propriile cuvinte, ce înseamnă România pentru fiecare dintre noi.

✨ Nu există un singur fel de a iubi România și nici un singur fel de a o povesti. Creațiile pot porni de la o scrisoare adresată României, de la locuri și amintiri dragi, de la experiențe personale, de la modul în care este percepută România sau de la felul în care participanții își imaginează România viitorului.

👧🧒 Concursul se adresează copiilor și tinerilor cu vârsta de până la 18 ani.

🏆 Rezultatele vor fi anunțate în perioada 30 noiembrie – 1 decembrie.

ℹ️ Regulamentul și toate detaliile despre înscriere sunt disponibile aici: https://www.icr.ro/pagini/concursul-de-eseuri-eu-si-romania-revine-cu-cea-de-a-iv-a-editie-romania-din-inima-mea

A monumental new artwork has joined the urban landscape of West London - and it carries a distinctly Romanian story.

Romanian-British artist Cristina Schek has unveiled 'Fern Girl' (2022), a striking 4 × 4 metre work blending photography, digital art and surrealism, as part of W4th Plinth, one of West London’s most prominent public art projects curated by Abundance London.

Set against the railway embankment at Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick, 'Fern Girl' brings contemporary art into the everyday life of the city, inviting passers-by to encounter Schek’s imaginative world outside the traditional gallery space. The work holds a special place in the W4th Plinth story: Cristina Schek is the project’s only artist to have been selected twice, with 'Fern Girl' emerging from almost 500 proposals through a competitive selection process and public vote.

The unveiling was a vibrant celebration of art, community and cultural exchange, bringing together artists, cultural professionals, local residents, members of the Romanian community, representatives of the London Borough of Hounslow and partners of the project.

The programme featured remarks by Dr Karen Liebreich MBE, Founder and Director of Abundance London; Aura Woodward, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London; and Ranjit Pendhar Singh Gill, Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow. The artwork was officially unveiled by Cynthia Valianti Corbett, art historian and Founder of The Cynthia Corbett Gallery and the Young Masters Art Prize, who also addressed the audience during the opening and surprised everyone with a beautiful rendition of the iconic 'Nature Boy', transformed especially for the occasion into Nature Girl - a musical welcome to 'Fern Girl'.

A lively musical performance by students from Chiswick School struck a joyful note, bringing music, colour and a wonderful sense of togetherness to the celebration.

Many congratulations to Cristina Schek, and a warm thank you to all partners and to everyone who joined us to celebrate this special moment!

And now, it’s your turn to meet Fern Girl. 🌿 She’ll be watching over Turnham Green Terrace for the next six months and more. Go find her and, until then, discover the story behind the unveiling in our photo album.

📸 Adrian Galwin

Vlad Briciu is a jazz pianist and composer, and a graduate of the National University of Music Bucharest, where he studied jazz composition. He leads the JazzQuarters Trio, with whom he has received prizes at major national and international competitions, and often collaborates across a variety of projects. Distinguished with the Revelation of the Year award at the Romanian Jazz Awards Gala, Briciu has performed at leading festivals across Romania. His compositions have been featured by Radio Romania Cultural, while his work as a pianist, arranger and co-composer has included a collaboration with renowned jazz singer Luiza Zan on the 2023 album “In My Village”, recorded as part of Luiza Zan Quintet. Vlad Briciu frequently performs and collaborates with vibraphonist Răzvan Florescu (including co-arranging and performing on projects like the album ‘Sketches’).

Don't miss Vlad and his fellow 🇷🇴 🇬🇧 musicians' upcoming concerts in London this week! More info and tickets at links below.

📍 FRIDAY 9 October, 7pm @ 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X8PH:
https://www.rcilondon.co.uk/event-details/from-romania-with-jazz-razvan-florescu-vlad-briciu-in-belgravia
📍 SUNDAY 11 October, 7pm @ Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/razvan-florescu-quartet

What better way to open the 20th season of the Enescu Concerts Series than with a group of musicians whose ages brilliantly matched our anniversary? ✨🎶

It was a particular joy to celebrate the beginning of the 20th season of the Enescu Concerts Series — the oldest and most prestigious permanent programme of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London — with an evening devoted to the energy, talent and artistry of a new generation of musicians.

Our opening recital, presented in a first collaboration between the Romanian Cultural Institute and the renowned London Chamber Music Society, brought together classical guitarist Alexandra Păceană and the Valegro Quartet — Takanori Okamoto and Sophia Molina (violins), Haruka Makino (viola) and Doraly Gill (cello).

Together, they took us on a wonderful musical journey through Mozart, striking new arrangements of Bach and Enescu, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s much-loved Guitar Quintet, composed for Andrés Segovia in 1950, showcasing the rich and expressive possibilities of plucked and bowed strings.

The evening was opened by RCI London Director Aura Woodward, who reflected on the significance of marking not only the beginning of this landmark 20th season, but also the 20th anniversary of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London — a double celebration of two decades of bringing Romanian culture and outstanding artistic voices to audiences in the UK.

Our thanks go to all the wonderful artists who made this opening recital so memorable, and to our audience, whose enthusiasm, warmth and ever-vibrant presence continue to make the Enescu Concerts Series so special.

Photos: Shaun O’Brien and RCI London

What a proud and truly special moment for us to attend the gala screening of The Yellow Tie in London — a film that brings the extraordinary life and legacy of Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache to the big screen.

This deeply personal biopic, directed by Celibidache’s son, Serge Ioan Celebidachi, and produced by the tireless Adela Vrânceanu Celebidachi, is so much more than the story of a remarkable musician. It is a story of love that sustains and endures, of integrity and conviction, of resilience in the face of adversity, and of the unwavering belief that, somehow, everything will be well in the end. At the same time, it offers a fascinating window into an important chapter of Romania’s modern history.

The film features a wonderful international cast, including Ben Schnetzer and John Malkovich as Sergiu Celibidache at different stages of his life, Sean Bean as his father Demostene Celibidache, Miranda Richardson and Kate Phillips as Ioana Celibidache, alongside Anton Lesser, Tamzin Merchant, Charlie Rowe and Ewan Horrocks.

Heartfelt congratulations to the entire cast and crew — and, in particular, to Serge Ioan Celebidachi, whose deeply personal vision brought his father’s story to the screen, and to Adela Vrînceanu Celebidachi. It is a remarkable achievement and a story that deserves to be seen and remembered.

The UK premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square was a wonderful celebration and a beautiful opportunity for our vibrant Romanian community in the UK to come together once again, alongside our British friends and partners. The entire team of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London was there to share the occasion.

Here are some of our favourite moments from the premiere, beautifully captured by Alex Coman.

We are also delighted that AQUA Carpatica, one of the film’s main sponsors and a supporter of our pre-premiere event at the Institute, was part of this special journey.

🎬 The Yellow Tie arrives in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 9 October 2026. Don’t miss it!