Primo Artists Will Represent Conductor Cristian Măcelaru For Exclusive Worldwide Management

Primo Artists has announced Exclusive Worldwide Management of conductor Cristian Măcelaru, effective immediately. The agency will become his General Management and will continue to oversee his Publicity and Social Media worldwide.

Măcelaru was one of the inaugural artists on Primo Artists’ roster when the company was founded in 2015, represented for North and South American Management. In 2020, Primo took over management of his Social Media, and with the launch of its Public Relations division in 2022, also assumed management of his Publicity. The announcement brings all aspects of his representation under one unified global structure.

Primo Artists Founder Charlotte Lee says: “It is a tremendous honor to have worked with Cristian Măcelaru from the outset of his career – first signing him at IMG Artists in 2011, then having him come with me as part of Primo Artists’ 2015 founding roster. He has been with us in every chapter, including the launches of Primo’s PR and Social Media divisions, and watching his trajectory unfold has been remarkable. To now take on his worldwide General Management is a huge moment for us. With our new London office and a truly global team, we are poised to support Cristi on every front of his world-class career.”

Cristian Măcelaru says: “Working with the Primo Artists team since the very beginning has been a wonderful journey. Their influence, professionalism and attention to detail have enabled me to focus on making music at the highest level. I look forward to continuing our collaboration even further in this new chapter.”

As Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, Măcelaru has significantly strengthened the orchestra’s artistic profile by focusing on signature French repertoire and expanding its international presence. Most recently, he led a tremendously successful U.S. tour in November 2025 with pianist Daniil Trifonov, culminating in a near-sold-out Carnegie Hall appearance. “Cristian Mǎcelaru delivers spectacular Orchestre National de France program at Carnegie Hall,” raved BachTrack, adding that “Măcelaru’s expressive, technically precise conducting style brought out the many miracles in the score.” Prior to the U.S. tour, Măcelaru led the orchestra on a triumphant European tour to Prague, Bucharest, Bratislava and a sold-out concert at the Vienna Musikverein. The repertoire for the U.S. and European tours featured works by Ravel, in commemoration of the composer’s 150th anniversary, showcasing violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianists Daniil Trifonov and Rudolf Buchbinder as soloists.

For his inaugural 2025/26 season as Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru has launched a visionary season that balances beloved masterworks with compelling contemporary voices. This highly anticipated season has already garnered national attention, as featured in The New York Times. Cincinnati audiences have been captivated by sold-out programs including his November 4 concert featuring Yo-Yo Ma – simulcast to four locations across the city – and performances of Handel’s Messiah with the May Festival Chorus and distinguished soloists in early December. Among other season highlights, his opening program featured Hélène Grimaud on Gershwin’s Concerto in F, alongside Anna Clyne’s Abstractions and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite. Throughout the season, he collaborates with world-renowned artists including Daniil Trifonov, Tessa Lark, Renaud Capuçon, James Ehnes, Stephen Hough and Lise de la Salle, and leads major initiatives such as the U.S. premiere of Daníel Bjarnason’s complete Trilogy for Orchestra and a new multidisciplinary staging of Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

Măcelaru’s myriad of titled roles includes Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition, one of the world’s most significant and distinctive classical music festivals. Under his leadership, the 2025 edition reached unprecedented scale: in just 29 days, the festival presented more than 100 concerts throughout Bucharest and in cities across Romania. Over 20 of the world’s leading orchestras performed in the Festival, reaffirming its status as a landmark event on the international cultural stage. In addition, Măcelaru serves as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Interlochen Arts Camp World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director and Conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He is Artistic Partner of the WDR Sinfonieorchester, where he previously served as Chief Conductor from 2019/20 through 2024/25.

A GRAMMY Award-winning conductor widely admired for his artistic vision and commitment to innovation, Cristian Măcelaru appears regularly with many of the world’s leading orchestras. His recent and upcoming engagements include debuts with the Münchner Philharmoniker and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and returns to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Czech Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, as well as the Philharmonia Orchestra for performances in the UK and at the Grafenegg Festival. Highlights of Măcelaru’s previous seasons feature Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Staatskapelle Berlin, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In North America, Măcelaru has conducted The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and The Cleveland Orchestra. As a conductor of opera, he has led notable productions including Don Giovanni at Houston Grand Opera and Madama Butterfly at Opera Națională București.

An active recording artist, Măcelaru has released acclaimed albums with both the Orchestre National de France and the WDR Sinfonieorchester. In September 2025, he and the Orchestre National de France released Ravel Paris 2025 on Naïve Records, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth. His 2024 recording of George Enescu’s Symphonies Nos. 1-3 and Romanian Rhapsodies on Deutsche Grammophon won the Diapason d’Or of the Year and Choc Classica de l'Année.

A champion of commissioning and premiering the music of today, Măcelaru has commissioned premieres from more than 50 composers across his titled positions in Paris, Cologne and Cabrillo. This illustrious group of composers includes Wynton Marsalis, Tan Dun, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Jake Heggie, Nico Muhly, Sean Shepherd and Gabriella Smith. In January 2026, he conducts the CSO in the U.S. Premiere of Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason’s I Want to Be Alive, a CSO co-commission. In May of next year, he leads the San Francisco Symphony in the World Premiere of a new work commissioned from Tyler Taylor, the 2024 winner of the Emerging Black Composers Project prize. 

Măcelaru is deeply committed to education, accessibility and the music of today. He has created innovative audience-engagement series for both the Orchestre National de France and WDR Sinfonieorchester; expanded commissioning initiatives across Paris, Cologne and Cabrillo; and introduced major new programs for young musicians at the George Enescu Festival and Competition. His dedication to emerging composers and conductors continues through international workshops, masterclasses and long-term mentorship initiatives, including his work at the Cabrillo Festival and Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy. This commitment will be on full display during Interlochen’s March 2026 tour, where he will lead the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra alongside Yo-Yo Ma in the World Premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s new cello concerto.

Măcelaru was born in Timișoara, Romania, and comes from a musical family. As the youngest of ten children, all of whom received instrumental lessons at an early age, Măcelaru moved at age 17 to the United States to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he served as concertmaster of the Arts Academy Orchestra. He pursued his higher education at the University of Miami in Florida and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, where he studied conducting with Larry Rachleff. He is an alumnus of Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival.