On the picture H. E. Ireny Comaroschi, Ambassador of Romania.
By Ellen Brager.
Last Friday Diplomat Magazine was present at the Romanian Spring Evening organized by the Romanian Embassy. Ambassador Ireny Comaroschi kindly opened the doors of the Residence to members and friends of the Romanian community in The Hague for an evening of celebrations.
The festive mood was set immediately with the gift of a “mărțișor” to all the invitees. According to Romanian tradition the mărțișor, a small pin in the shape of a crocus, is offered on the first of March every year by the men to the women to celebrate the arrival of spring.
The guests then assembled for an award ceremony led by Ambassador Comaroschi inspired by International Women’s Day on March 8. Eight remarkable women were honored for their achievements as Romanians in Holland or for their efforts to promote Romanian culture and increase awareness for Romania in general and for their support to newcomers to the Netherlands. Their activities covered different fields. Representing the arts there were Maria Rus Bojan and Genevieve E.M.O. Momma-Wehry, both professional curators; Kim van Haaster, a movie maker who received a special mention for her documentary “Play no matter what“ depicting life in a rural village in East Romania; and Anita Walsmit Sachs, a botanical illustrator recently selected to record the flora of Transylvania through her paintings.
For a full photo-album on this event, please click here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157650855289600/
Two other awardees, Marianne van Stekelenburg-Hasenbos and Larisa Isabela Melinceanu, were active in facilitating the integration of foreigners into Dutch society, one by supporting the diplomatic community, while the other focused on helping migrants in extreme situations. There also was an award for Brîndușa Gritu, founder of a Romanian law office and a plastic surgery clinic promoting Romanian medicine.
Last but not least, a special introduction was given to Liana Gavrilă Șerbescu, a pianist and piano teacher honored as a developer of children’s musical talents and a promoter of lost and forgotten works by female Romanian composers. Her award was the perfect introduction for the musical treat that followed and that she helped organize.
The stage was cleared and six young musicians – three violinists and three pianists – were introduced to the audience. Diana-Maria Murariu was, with nine years old, the youngest of the violinists. She followed her three-year older sister Ioana-Alexandra Murariu in her love for the violin. Both started playing at the age of five and currently study at the Conservatorium in Amsterdam.
The third violinist, Silviu Tănasă, started his studies in Romania and moved to the Netherlands when he was nine. Now twenty years old he is an amazing violinist of great promise. The youngest piano player was Sebastien Ratering, born in 2006 and taking lessons since he was six. Radu Ratering, who will turn eleven in August, already has an impressive resumé including a performance next to Lang Lang in the Concertgebouw. His friend Stefan Christian Bele, who just turned twelve in December, is not only an extremely talented pianist, but also a composer whose works have been performed in public and have already earned him a spot in the finals of the Princes Christina Compositie Concours to be held in April.
It was a real delight to listen to so much talent playing works by well-known classical and Romanian composers, as well as a few of Stefan’s own compositions, with a skill and mastery that belied their young age.
In addition to celebrating spring, exceptional women and young talent, the evening also marked the 135th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Romania and the Netherlands. More than enough reasons to raise a glass of excellent Romanian wine.
While the guests mingled they could try some special Romanian specialties such as savory little meat balls called “chiftelute”, and a preparation of spinach in puff pastry by the name of “plăcintă”, as well as chocolates and other typical sweets.
When talking to Diplomat Magazine Ambassador Comaroschi stressed that the main purpose of the evening was to celebrate possibilities and promote the future in which she firmly believes, to counter all the negative news with which we are inundated by the media.
She certainly succeeded in showing a Romania to be proud of and in sharing the warmth and hospitality of the Romanian people.
