General Music Director and Principal Conductor of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic Orchestra

Artistic Director of the Euskadi Symphony Orchestra - Spain

Resident conductor of the "Haydn" Orchestra di Bolzano e Trento - Italy

Artistic Director of the "George Enescu" International Competition and Festival

Cristian Mandeal has studied piano, composition and conducting at the Music High School in Brasov and the Music Academy in Bucharest. Later, he improved his conducting with Herbert von Karajan in Berlin and with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich.

Following an experience as repetiteur at the Bucharest Romanian Opera, Cristian Mandeal became a permanent
conductor at Targu Mures and Cluj Philharmonics and since 1987 at Bucharest Philharmonic. Additionally, he
was Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra in Haifa - Israel.

Cristian Mandeal has conducted in 4 continents, 31 countries and 24 capitals. As conductor of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, he carried out over 20 international tours. He was a frequent guest to the Staatskapelle Dresden and Berlin, to the Munchener Philharmoniker and Hessisches Rundfunk Orchester - Frankfurt, to the Santa Cecilia - Roma and RAI Milan, to the Catalunya National Orchestra - Barcelona, as well as to the Hallé Orchestra - Manchester, where he continues to be a permanent resident. He conducted important orchestras such as RSO and RIAS - Berlin, Radio Bavaria - Munich and Dresden Philharmonic, CBSO and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra-Liverpool, Czech Philharmonic- Prague, Portuguese Symphony Orchestra - Lisbon, Orchestre Nationale de Belgique - Bruxelles, Israel Philharmonic - Tel Aviv, Symphony Orchestra in Göteborg, Orchestras of the Philharmonics in Tokyo, Helsinki, Monte Carlo, Sofia, Belgrade, Zagreb etc.
He conducted at the Vienna State Opera ballet performances (Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde) and opera (Verdi: Stiffelio).

Cristian Mandeal has cooperated with many renowned soloists such as: Radu Lupu, Ivo Pogorelici, Krystian Zimerman, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Gerhard Oppitz, Yefin Bronfman, Alicia de Larrocha, Maxim Vengherov, Shlomo Minz, Julian Rachlin, Victor Tretiakov, Mstislav Rostropovici, Ileana Cotrubas.
He conducted in many great concert halls, such as Berlin Philharmonie, Neues Gewandhaus - Leipzig, Wiener Staatsoper, Alte Oper - Frankfurt, Gasteig And Herkulessaal - Munich, Grosses Festspielhaus - Salzburg, Beethovenhalle - Bonn, Victoria Hall - Geneva, Tonhalle - Zurich, Symphony Hall - Birmingham, Balshoi Theater - Moscow, Santory Hall - Tokyo.

Cristian Mandeal has participated in many international festivals including the "George Enescu" International Festival - Bucharest and the Festivals in Istanbul, Ankara, Athens, Thessaloniki, Lisbon, Santander, San Sebastian, Brescia - Bergamo, Ravelo, Belgrade, Ohrid, "Hanover 2000" Festival, the Janacek Festival in Ostrava and Brno, the Bloomington Festival - USA.

At the Edinburgh Festival 2002 he performed with the BBC Scottish Orchestra the British premiere of "Oedip", opera by George Enescu.

Cristian Mandeal has recorded for Electrecord, MBG Classics (Arte Nova) and Claves. In his discography, an outstanding achievement are the integral cycles of the Bruckner symphonies, of the Brahms symphonic and vocal/symphonic works, released under the form of 9 CDs on the occasion of the composer's death centenary in 1997 and especially the complete symphonic works of George Enescu, in 7 CDs.

Cristian Mandeal has conducted the world premieres of over 50 symphonic and opera works. He conducts the entire concert repertoire, from Vivaldi to the contemporary music, with a bias to the music of the XIXth and first half of the XXth century.