Ode to Joy – Symphonic Concert Celebrating the Anniversary of Babeș-Bolyai University

28 October 2025

On 3 November 2025, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB) celebrates 106 years since professor Vasile Pârvan delivered his inaugural lecture at the Romanian University of Cluj – The Duty of Our Lives – and also 150 years since the birth of Queen Marie, a highly significant figure in the history of our University.

A special anniversary concert will mark the occasion on 3 November 2025, at 6 p.m., in the Auditorium Maximum of Babeș-Bolyai University (5 M. Kogălniceanu Street) with New Hope Orchestra conducted by Octavian Lup. The concert program includes the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and works such as Ode to Joy (which reflect the European course, mission, and values of Babeș-Bolyai University), as well as the European Union anthem, the anthem of Babeș-Bolyai University, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 (Ode to Freedom), and Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by a highly talented student, pianist Robert Bașcoveanu, with the participation of the Anima Mundi choir and conductor Andrei Dunca.

Admission is free, but advance booking is required at www.iabilet.ro (https://www.iabilet.ro/bilete-cluj-napoca-oda-bucuriei-concert-de-ziua-ubb-118035/).

The Romanian University of Cluj was founded by King Ferdinand I, by decree no. 4090 of 12 September 1919, which stipulated that “the Hungarian University of Cluj shall become a Romanian university on 1 October 1919.” The first rector of the University of Cluj was Professor Sextil Pușcariu, and the inaugural lecture – The Duty of Our Lives – was delivered on 3 November 1919 by Professor Vasile Pârvan.

The (Romanian) University of Cluj went on to implement the Humboldtian model of higher education and various international university practices into the Romanian higher education, such as the awarding of honorary doctorates (Queen Marie being among the first to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa title). In October 1927, the University of Cluj officially adopted the name of King Ferdinand I University, which it used until 1948. Today, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB) is the academic and legal successor to the University of Cluj/King Ferdinand I University.

Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB) is the university with the most complex academic profile in the country (by its number of programmes and multicultural profile featuring three official academic languages: Romanian, Hungarian, and German), and with the oldest academic tradition in Romania (established 444 years ago – 1581), accounting for the largest academic community in the country (with a staff of more than 55,000 people, from 15 cities and 12 counties). Since its foundation, UBB has counted among the top universities in Romania, and for the past seven years it has been ranked first in the country in the University Metaranking, which indexes all major international university rankings. For several years now, UBB has consistently ranked among the top 5% of the world’s universities (out of approximately 30,000), with an advanced academic infrastructure (e.g. RDI units integrated into European networks, up-to-date teaching laboratories integrating virtual/augmented/mixed reality through the UBB-EON-XR Centre, etc.). Recently (2021), following the international QS STAR audit, UBB was officially ranked as the first world-class university (QS*****) in Romania, and in 2020 UBB was included in the GUILD, the organisation of the most prestigious European world-class/research-intensive universities, it was awarded the European HR Award for Excellence, and as of 2021/2022 it is a member of the EUTOPIA alliance of European universities.