Award-Winning Conductor Libi Lebel Makes Debut with Filarmonica “George Enescu” Botoșani

Libi Lebel, conductor

BOTOȘANI, ROMANIA —

Award-winning conductor Libi Lebel will make her debut with the Filarmonica “George Enescu” Botoșani on Friday, November 20, 2026, at the Mihai Eminescu Theater, in a program of orchestral masterworks — and marking her return to Romania three years after being named a prizewinner at Romania’s Orchestra’s Conductor Competition.

The program presents a vibrant and dramatic evening: Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D Minor with violinist Liviu Prunaru, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 — the “Fate” Symphony.

For Lebel, the concert carries a significance that extends far beyond the stage. Her grandfather, Zisu Lebel, was born in the Botoșani region and later documented his life there in a published memoir. With his parents and earlier generations of the Lebel family laid to rest in Botoșani, her debut with the orchestra represents both an artistic milestone and a deeply personal homecoming — a tribute, through music, to the generations who came before her.

The choice of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth — a symphony consumed by the theme of fate — resonates with particular weight on this occasion.

Lebel is the founder and Artistic Director of the Texas Medical Center Orchestra in Houston, Texas, where she has led the ensemble for more than two decades, building a reputation for artistic excellence, community engagement, and innovative programming. Her recent international engagements include performances in Brazil, Bulgaria, and Moldova, with her Botoșani debut marking her return to Romania.