A series of music and cultural events will bring together artists from Oradea and Debrecen as part of the cross-border 'Bridging Cultures' project, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek-Catholic Diocese of Oradea, which will be marked next year.

The project will run for one year and was initiated by the Greek Catholic Diocese of Oradea and organised in collaboration with the Hajdúdorog Metropolia Church, based in Debrecen, Hungary.

It includes meetings of conductors, training sessions as part of a specialist masterclass, joint rehearsals, two international festivals - the 'Francisc Hubic' Festival in Oradea and the 'Lautitia' Festival in Debrecen - as well as three joint concerts aimed at encouraging artistic dialogue and the exchange of experience.

The organisers aim to strengthen cultural cooperation between the Romanian and Hungarian communities by promoting their choral heritage and shared musical traditions.

'We want this project to be more than a series of concerts. We want to create real connections between people, between choirs and between the two communities, and music is the most beautiful language through which we can do this. The fact that these concerts will take place next year, during the jubilee of the Greek-Catholic Diocese of Oradea, gives them a special significance. It is an opportunity to celebrate history, but also to build relationships for the future through culture and music,' the diocese's cultural adviser Rodica Indig told AGERPRES on Wednesday on behalf of the organising team.

According to her, the programme of events will begin on 10 September with a working meeting of the conductors involved in the project. Oradea will be represented by Radu Muresan, conductor of the 'Buna Vestire - Francisc Hubic' Choir, Nicoleta Arendas of the 'Anima Nostra' Choir of the 'Don Orione' High School and Monica Nica, conductor of the 'Iuliu Maniu' Greek-Catholic High School Choir.

Conductors of the 'Lautitia' choral ensemble, which brings together children's, youth and mixed choirs, will attend from Debrecen.

In November, the project will continue with a choral performance masterclass led by renowned specialists in choral music.

Two international festivals, with free admission for the public, will be organised as part of the project: the 'Francisc Hubic' Choral Festival in Oradea (the 16th edition) and the 'Lautitia' Festival in Debrecen.

The main events of the project will take place next year, between 21 May and 6 June, when three joint concerts featuring the participating choirs from Oradea and Debrecen are scheduled. The events will be included in the programme marking the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek-Catholic Diocese of Oradea.

The cross-border project 'Bridging Cultures: A Multicultural Crossborder Choir Festival Celebrating Common Heritage (CBC Fest),' launched in June 2026, secured funding of 154,098 euro in July 2026 through the Interreg VI-A Romania-Hungary Programme, 80% of which represents a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the remainder provided through Romanian and Hungarian public co-financing.

In order to ensure the smooth running of the activities, the project also provides for the purchase of the technical equipment needed to organise the festivals and other events within the CBC Fest. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Rodica State)

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