Permanent conductor of the Banatul Philharmonic in Timişoara, RADU POPA was born in Bucharest in 1969. He attended the Bucharest National University of Music’s courses, graduating in 1994 from the composition department (class of Univ. Prof. Dr. Adrian Iorgulescu), and in 1996 from the orchestra conducting department (class of Univ. Prof. Ludovic Bács), then continuing his musical training with Master’s studies. Conductors Ludovic Bács and Erich Bergel had an essential contribution in his formation as a conductor.
Radu Popa is a permanent guest of the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest, Transilvania State Philharmonic Cluj-Napoca, the Radio National Orchestra, etc. He conducted concert tours in South Korea (Transilvania Philharmonic Orchestra from Cluj-Napoca in2001, the Giurgiu Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002 and with the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra from the Czech Republic in 2003). As conductor of the Janacek Chamber Orchestra, Radu Popa coordinated the production of The Magic Flute at Šumperk in the Czech Republic (2002). In 2002 and 2003 he was an assistant conductor for the courses held by Otakar Thrlik in Opava in the Czech Republic, and in 2004 he was invited to conduct numerous concerts of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra in (Ostrava, Czech Republic).
During the George Enescu Festival, he conducted the Transilvania Philharmonic Orchestra from Cluj-Napoca (2007) as well as the Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra Timisoara (2009). At the National Radio Orchestra’s invitation, together with soloists Alexandru Tomescu and Horia Mihail, maestro Radu Popa conducted the National Day of Romania concert, an event that took place in Rome (Italy), in the Giuseppe Sinopoli Hall of the Parco della Musica Auditorium. Radu Popa conducted the Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra at the Româneşti Cave concerts.
