English
The Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation was created in 2008, by the engineer Constantin Laurenţiu Erbiceanu, great-grandson of the historian Constantin Erbiceanu (1838-1913), grandson of the anticommunist hero Ion Flueraş (1882-1953) and related to a great number of old Romanian, Armenian and Greek families. The activities of the
Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation seek to preserve the family's values and traditions, by promoting professional and moral excellence. The Foundation's main instruments will be the prizes dedicated to several illustrious members of the Erbiceanu family (musicians, historians, engineers etc.) and awarded especially to young people, as a recognition of their achievements and an encouragement for their future careers. Professor Neagu Djuvara is the Foundation's Honorary President. Constantin Laurenţiu Erbiceanu (President), Filip-Lucian Iorga and Alin Saidac are the members of the Foundation's Board.
Since 2009, the
Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation awards, under the auspices of the
George Enescu International Contest - Piano Section, the
Constanţa Erbiceanu Prize for the best Romanian competitor.
Constanţa Erbiceanu (1874-1961), the daughter of
Constantin Erbiceanu, historian and member of the Romanian Academy, studied the piano at the Leipzig Conservatoire (1894-1898), with Carl Reinecke and Johannes Weidenbach. She also studied with Maurice Moszkowski (who dedicated his concert for piano and orchestra to Constanţa Erbiceanu) and gave concerts in Paris, Berlin and London. Her talent was acclaimed both by the public and the critics. In 1904, she moved to Berlin, where she studied musicology at the University (1908-1911), she gave concerts and became a close friend and a disciple of the German composer Max Reger, whose works she played in Berlin and Paris. After the First World War, she started teaching at the Bucharest Conservatoire, using the "Erbiceanu method" and she is considered to be one of the founders of the Romanian piano school. Constanţa Erbiceanu was the teacher of great pianists like Valentin Gheorghiu and Silvia Şerbescu and of great pedagogues, like Eliza Hansen (the teacher of Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Frantz), Cecilia Mantta, Emilia Vlangali, Maria Şova, Theodor Bălan, Ana Pitiş or Carola Grindea (professor at the Guildhall School of Music in London and founder of the European Piano Teachers Association). She was highly admired by George Enescu, Sviatoslav Richter, Alfredo Casella, Constantin Silvestri. The first
Constanţa Erbiceanu Prize was awarded to Mr. Sorin Creciun. In 2011, the
Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation awarded the
Constanţa Erbiceanu Prize for the second time, to Mr. Mihai Ritivoiu.
The
Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation finances, in order to honor the memory of Constantin Erbiceanu (1838-1913), member of the Romanian Academy, great historian, theologian and Hellenist, the translation of
Saint John’s Gospel, by Mr. Cristian Bădiliţă, expert in patristic studies and writer who coordinates a fundamental project for the Romanian culture, the new translation of the
New Testament (in 7 volumes). The volume which was financed by our Foundation was published in February 2010, at the
Curtea veche Publishing House from Bucharest.
The
Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation financed in 2010 the publication of the volume
Patristique et œcuménisme: thèmes, contextes, personnages. Colloque international sous le patronage du Monseigneur Teodosie, Archevêque de Tomis, Constanţa 17-20 octobre 2008 (Editions Beauchesne – Paris and Editura Galaxia Gutenberg – Romania), coordinated by Mr. Cristian Bădiliţă and including studies by Monique Alexandre, Cristian Badilita, Marie-Hélène Congourdeau, Marius Cruceru, Ysabel de Andia, Angelo di Berardino, Dominique Gonnet, Olga Lossky, Andrew Louth, Lorenzo Perrone, Michel Stavrou, Lucian Turcescu, Davide Zordan, written in English, French and Italian.
In 2010, The Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation was one of the official partners of the Sever Zotta Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry, in organizing The 15th National Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry (13-15 May 2010, Iaşi).
In 2011, the Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation organized, together with the University of Bucharest and New Europe College (NEC), the first visit in Romania of Mr. Jean Delumeau, one of the most important French historians. Mr. Delumeau received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Bucharest and he gave two lectures in Bucharest. The Foundation also supported the publication of the book dedicated by Mr. Petre Covacef to Laurenţiu Erbiceanu, director of the Port of Constanţa.
In 2012, the school from the village Erbiceni – Iaşi was named after the most famous personality born there, the historian and theologian Constantin Erbiceanu, member of the Romanian Academy. The Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation supported the publication, at the Adevărul Holding Publishing House, of two new volumes from the New Testament translated into Romanian and commented by Mr. Cristian Bădiliţă: The Apocalypse of St. John and The Gospel According to St. Mark. The Foundation was again one of the official partners of the Sever Zotta Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry, in organizing The National Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry (May 2012, Iaşi). The Foundation was also one the official partners of the Lipatti Days event, in organizing a piano recital, at the Romanian Athenaeum, on the 2nd of December 2012, involving Nikolai Lugansky, Alfredo Perl, Mihai Ritivoiu and Andrei Licareţ.
In 2013, the Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation will commemorate the Centenary from the death of Constantin Erbiceanu, member of the Romanian Academy, and will award the third “Constanţa Erbiceanu” Prize, at the “George Enescu” International Piano Contest.