Lately, I’ve been having a delightful experience worth bragging about: I keep falling hard for the music in theatre shows. And since it’s impossible to know every single tune you hear in a performance, you often feel an irresistible urge to figure out what exactly tickled your ears so pleasantly.
With Afrim, it’s simple: most of the time, he crafts the soundscape himself. So don’t even bother turning on Shazam – it won’t find what’s playing anyway. 🙂
But other directors also choose music that’s far from “mainstream,” pieces you instantly want to hear again. So, you take action. I’ll admit I’ve always been a bit shy to pull my phone out of my backpack mid-show, just to try and ID a track. Instead, I’ve resorted to “inside sources”: for Eugen Gyemant’s new Romeo & Juliet at Bulandra, I messaged the director to ask about a specific song. For Alexandra Badea’s The Stand-In at TNB, I pestered my friend Laura Grosu with questions.
At Jazz in the Park, though, having Shazam ready is basically festival etiquette. I used it generously during DJ sets from Bianca Oancea and Andi Moisescu. Naturally, I sometimes just ask Sugar what’s playing from the MeloMelanj zone of influence. And that, I think, is the biggest win: you come to the festival for music you know – and leave with new artists you instantly want to follow.
JiP is a place of discoveries, square meter by square meter. In the evening, sure, you’ve got the concerts you bought a ticket for. But during the day, you stumble upon all kinds of unexpectedly wonderful things – from creative workshops and intro sessions on various instruments, to markets filled with clever handmade objects from modern artisans. You can dig up obscure vinyls, find a quiet corner to read, or even buy books right there on the spot. (Not to mention, you might run into a favorite author, all in an organized setting.)
This year, new “Întâlniri pe prispă” are coming your way. Not just saying this because I’ll be hosting them – but trust me, they’ll be just right. At the very least, because our guests are people you likely admire and secretly want to know more about.
“Daytime festival” – that’s the 2025 edition’s mantra. You don’t need to wait for nightfall for the good stuff to begin. You can spend most of your day at the festival in a constant state of discovery. All set in a backdrop that brings to life a uniquely Cluj blend of dolce far niente and joie de vivre.
(Re)experience the joy of a very special kind of stillness: one filled with sounds and emotions.
6–8 June. We’ll see you there.
Written by Diana Popescu.
