On September 1, 1929, in the music practice room of the Reuniunea Română de Cântări şi Muzică [Romanian Society for Vocal and Instrumental Performance] the first congress of Banat County-based conductors took place. Called by the management of the Romanian Military Bands’ and Choirs’ Association in Banat and presided by Iosif Velceanu, it starred honorary president Ion Vidu, general secretary Filaret Barbu and Bozovici Association member Ion Cucu-Bănăţean. The congress addressed the revival of local choral activity and pushed for the publication of the Revista Corurilor şi Fanfarelor Române din Banat [Journal of Romanian Choirs and Military Bands in Banat]. As well, Iosif Velceanu invoked the necessity of establishing a music school for choir and military bands instructors. Ion Vidu’s and Filaret Barbu’s proposal that the head office of the Association remain in Lugoj was accepted, and the music school was to be founded in the same town. The participants also expressed their hope of establishing a Conservatory to be run by the City Hall and to include intended the school for instructors (conductors).

The topic of institutionalized practice music had been approached by the members of the newly founded Societatea Filarmonică [Philharmonic Society] in the fall of 1927 when, on the initiative of mayor Ioan Harambaşa, a project had been launched to set up a public music school which was to open on January 1, 1928. Participants in that meeting were pianist Maria Branişte, Major D. Petrescu Tocineanu, Lt Col Florea Dragoescu, Iosif Klein, lieutenant with the Muzica Militară [Military Bands], Dr Karol Vértes, Thomas Fernbacher, Franz Volbert and others, who agreed on the various departments – violin, piano, winds, vocal training, harmony, and theory of music. The committee appointed to finalize organisational issues was composed of Ion Vidu, Ioan Bacău, Filaret Barbu, military band conductor Iosif Klein, majors Tocineanu, Sorescu and Papadopol, as well as notary Al. Vasilie. The start of the project was delayed, and the project itself was refreshed later, with Societatea Filarmonică’s management turning to professional musicians from Lugoj: pianist Adalbert Janovitz and his daughter violinist Alice Hartmann-Janovitz, graduate of the famous Schola Cantorum in Paris, were authorized to begin, on October 1, 1929, temporary private piano and violin classes open to all, novices and experts alike.

On Wednesday, September 11, 1929, on the proposal of mayor Harambaşa, the members of the City Council passed unanimously the vote on establishing the Music School (Conservatory) which opened on October 1 and functioned, during its first year, as a private institution under the patronage of the City Hall. Ion Vidu had been proposed as its director, but because of his responsibilities as national music inspector he declined the offer, and so was replaced by Filaret Barbu. In addition to the already-mentioned teachers, Iosif Klein was appointed to the wind department. Director Filaret Barbu was succeeded, in 1940, by Dimitrie Stan and then by Remus Taşcău, conductor of the Ion Vidu Chamber Choir.

Famous teachers and alumni of the Lugoj Conservatory of Music (currently the Remus Taşcău School of Arts Lugoj) are composer György Kurtág, pianist and conductor Ernő Földvári (Ernest Paldi), conductor Petre Sbârcea, tenors Alexandru Racolţa and Gheorghe Dippon, pianist Clara Peia-Vojkicza, ballet dancer Gelu Barbu.

Constantin-Tufan Stan