The Romanian Opera from Cluj-Napoca is the oldest lyrical-dramatic institution of this kind in Romania, which started performing on 19-th of September 1919. Under the leadership of several outstanding individuals as the tenor Constantin Pavel, the Italian conductor Egisto Tango, composer Tiberiu Brediceanu, bariton Dimitrie Popovici-Bayreuth, in a few months were passed all the difficulties related to the constitution of the new ensemble. Two symphonic performances, held on 13-th and 14-th of May 1919, under the conduct of the Czech Oskar Nedbal. The opening show was held on 25-th of May 1920, with the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Alfred Novak and directed by the first manager of institution, Constantin Pavel, first helder of the "Radames" part.

From its foundation till nowadays, the Opera from Cluj performed more than 200 premieres, opera plays, operettas and ballets from the Romanian and universal repertory, proving a large opening to all the styles and schools, from the operas of Mozart (The Wedding of Figaro, The Charmed Flute, Don Juan, Cosi Fan Tutte), Beethoven, Cimarosa and Weber to Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi (Aida, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Mascarade, Hernani, Otello, The Force of Destiny, Don Carlo, Falstaff, Nabuccodonosor), Dargomijski, Moniuzsko, Wagner (Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Tristan and Iseut, Walkiria, The Flyin Dutchman, The Singing Masters from Nurnberg), Bizet, Massenet, Meyerbeer, Ceaikovski (Evgheni Oneghin, Mazeppa, The Hart Lady, Swan's Lake, The Nuts Craker), Puccini (Turandot, Madama Butterfly, Boema, Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Triptique, The Girl from the West), Saint-Saens, Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana, Masks), Mussorgski (Boris Godunov), Prokofiev (Engagement at the Monastery, the ballets Cindarella and Romeo and Juliet), Leoncavallo, Humperdinck, Britten, Suchon, up to representative operettas and ballets, as well as forty Romanian compositions, the most important of them being Oedipe by George Enescu and also Manole the Craftsman by Sigismund Toduta - a coproduction between The "Gheorghe Dima" Music Academy from Cluj-Napoca, The Romanian Opera from Cluj-Napoca and The "Transilvania" State Philarmonic from CIuj-Napoca.

On the stage of the Romanian Opera from Cluj played famous world-wide known singers, as : John Sullivan, Jovita Fuentes, Alfred Piccaver, Traian Grozavescu, Lya Pop, Ana Rozsa Vasiliu, Virginia Zeani, Nicolla Rossi Lemeni, Irina Arhipova, Vladimir Piavko, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carla Ferari, Arta Florescu, David Ohanesian, Nicolae Herlea, Ion Piso, Maria Slatinaru, Ludovic Spiess, Lucia Stanescu, Emil Gherman, Ionel Pantea, Alexandru Agache, Angela Gheorghiu, Mihai Zamfir, Carmen Oprisanu, ballerina Simona Noja.
The conductors were: Pietro Mascagni, George Enescu, Ionel Perlea, Edmondo de Vecchi, Glauco Curiel, Carlo Felice Cillario, Jean Bobescu, Constantin Bugeanu, Petre Sbârcea, Miki Inoue, Ion Iancu, Emil Simon, Cristian Mandeal, Gheorghe Victor Dumanescu, Emil Maxim, Corneliu Calistru.
By his tours abroad in Italy (nineteen tours), Bulgaria, Czechlovakia, ex-Soviet Union, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland ( five tours ), Luxembourg, the crew of the Romanian Opera was recognized for its outstanding artistic gifts, recognition that went, as well, to his deserving ballet ensemble - laureate of the Intemational Ballet Contest Jassy 1992, his Camera Orchestra and The Baroque Ensemble "TRANSILVANIA", the two composed from the best musicians of the Romanian Opera's orchestra.

Almost all the soloists of the Romanian State Opera from Cluj are the owners of several prizes and distinctions obtained in important international canto contests: Carmen Violeta Gurban, Ramona Eremia, Mircea Moisa, Rodica Toma, Elena Andries Moldovan, Doina Neculce Sâmpetrean, Irina Sandulescu Balan, Adriana Simon, Viorel Saplacan, Mihaela Ungureanu, Szabo Balint, Gheoghe Petean.

The building of the Romanian Opera from Cluj-Napoca belong to national patrimony of culture, like an art and historical monument. Also this building is under the UNESCO observation, among the special protected monuments. It was built by the beginning of the 20-th century by the famous company from Wien, Fellner & Helmer, who was specialised in projecting and building theaters, and as an architectural piece of work tries to introduce a secessionist slightly baroque style. The hall, with 900 seats, is a classical piece of work of the baroque style theatre.

Text offered by Opera, 1996