Mihaela Cesa-Goje

2009 Fellow

Conductor Mihaela Cesa-Goje is the Head of the Composition and Conducting Department of the Gheorghe Dima National Music Academy in Cluj Napoca,where she has been a PhD Professor in conducting since 2003, and the Music Director and founder of the Jubilate Choir in Romania.

From 2017-2019 Mihaela was the Principal Conductor of the Erasmus+ project, conducting a Romanian-Estonian youth orchestra in rehearsals and public concerts in Estonia: Tallinn and Tartu and in Romania, Cluj Napoca and Oradea.

In May 2017 Mihaela Cesa -Goje was named Associate of The Royal Academy of Music, London for significant contribution in the conducting field.  Since 2017 Mihaela has been the manager and jury member of the Gheorghe Dima International Music Competition – Conducting section.

In December 2016 Mihaela debuted with Dallas Opera selected out of 156 candidates for the Women Conducting Institute and in April 2017 she worked in residence at San Francisco Opera in partnership with the Adler Fellows.

In Romania, Mihaela has conducted the prominent orchestras and since 2014 is regularly invited to conduct at the Cluj National Opera.

In 2011, Mihaela was the winner of the Dudamel Fellowship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Also in 2011, Mihaela was selected out of 160 candidates for a masterclass with Bernard Haitink and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

In 2010, she was awarded a Women Conductor Grant from the League of American Orchestras. In 2009, Mihaela was awarded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship founded by Maestro Marin Alsop and debuted with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, and Hartford Symphony.  Also in 2009, she was selected as one of the three young Romanian conductors to debut at the Romanian Athenaeum, the most important concert hall in Romania.

Mihaela founded the Jubilate Choir in 2007 with whom she has recorded several CDs and performed a cappella, with organ and with orchestra accompaniment in several important festivals in Romania.

In 2005 Mihaela completed her PGDip in Choral Conducting at Royal Academy of Music, London.  Upon graduation, she was awarded the Irene Burcher Prize.

Also in 2003 Mihaela received the “Sandor Vegh Prize” from the Romanian Mozart Society for an outstanding performance of Mozart’s “Der Schauspiele Direktor” at the Cluj National Opera, Romania.

Mihaela graduated BMus, MMus and PhD in Conducting at Gh. Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, Romania studying with Florentin Mihaescu.