The greatest Interpretation International Festival in Romania had its debut on March 5th 1968 on the stage of Brașov Drama Theatre. Part of the first team organising the first edition were personalities such as the festival directors Tudor Vornicu and Ilie Mănescu, the artistic director Valeriu Lazarov, orchestra conductor Sile Dinicu and the hosts of the show, actors Stela Popescu and Iurie Darie.Constantin Drăghici opened the festival with a recital and the Romanian competitors were Dan Spătaru, Margareta Pâslaru and Anca Agemolu.
22 artists competed at that time in order to win the Trophy which finally went to Belgium with Jacques Hustin.
Although the Festival was at its early beginnings, it was known as “The East European festival looking like a Western European festival!”
The event rapidly integrated in the agenda of the Grand International Festivals and its second edition was broadcasted by 25 televisions from all around the world. This was also the year when the first Trophy went to a Romanian competitor. It was awarded to Luminiţa Dobrescu – she won the Golden Stag Trophy in 1969 with the song “Of, inimioara” – “Oh, little heart”.
Therese Steinmetz (Netherlands) in 1970 and Anne Louise Hanson (Sweden) in 1971 are the winners of the following editions.
In 1972, after four consecutive editions, the Festival stopped for 21 years, being organised again only 1992. The 5th edition of the event marked an important change in its history – instead of being organised indoors, the stage moved outdoors, in Brașov’s famous and beautiful Piaţa Sfatului.
After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, “Golden Stag” launched new stars in international music: Trie Utami (Indonesia), Arina (Lithuania), Worthy Davis (USA) and Cramps in The Leg (Russia), the winners of the Festival’s editions from 1992 to 1995.
In 1996, after 27 years of wanderings, the Stag came back home thanks to Monica Anghel.
Indonesia got the Trophy for the second time in 1997 with Meiske Shakila Sherhalawan. Then, there were another 3 years of interruption of the event.
The Festival comes back to life in 2001 with the performance of Romania’s representatives, the Proconsul band, who managed to convince the members of the jury that they deserve the Grand Trophy of the Golden Stag.
The Trophy remains at home for one more year thanks to the Paula Seling, Romania’s representative in 2002, who shattered all hopes for all the other competitors from all around the world.
2003 is the year when Chinese soloist Sho Baoliang wins the public, the jury and the Prize as well.
Eleanor Casar from Malta wins the “Golden Stag” Trophy in 2004.
In 2005, the Golden Stag Trophy went to Italy. Linda, born to a Romanian father and an Italian mother, has been compared many times to Anastacia, because of the resemblance of their voices. Her song, “Aria, sole, terra e mare”, has been appreciated even before the Golden Stag Festival, being awarded already at the famous San Remo Festival.
The Golden Stag 2008 stayed in Romania thanks to Razvan Krivach’s performance, who won the public’s sympathy and the votes of the jury with the song “Too much love will kill you”.
In 2009, the Golden Stag Trophy went to Italy with Antonino.
Until 2009, the year when the most recent edition of the Festival took place, TVR organised 17 editions of the Golden Stag on the Brasov stage. Great names of the musical industry climbed on the stage in Piata Sfatului. Among those, Diana Ross, Amália Rodrigues, Julio Iglesias, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones, Vaya con Dios, Coolio, Christina Aguilera, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Martin, Kelly Family, Patricia Kaas, Joe Cocker, Simply Red sau Steve Vai, James Brown, Culture Beat, Paul Young, Boy George, Ray Charles, Toto Cutugno, Kylie Minogue, Zucchero, INXS, UB 40, Cyndi Lauper, Vaya con Dios, The Kelly Family, Boyz II Men, T.A.T.U, Scorpions, Simple Minds, Pink or Nino D’Angelo.
The 2020 edition was cancelled as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, TVR decided to organize a grand show to mark the moment of what should have been the 20th edition of the festival. Using the slogan The Golden Stag 2020 #GENERATIONS, TVR hosted a super show connecting artists made famous by the festival and promoting the new generation of singers and composers.
The winners of the „Golden Stag” Trophy
1968 JAQUES HUSTIN – BELGUM
1969 LUMINI]A DOBRESCU – ROMANIA
1970 THERESE STEINMETZ – NETHERLANDS
1971 ANN LOUISE HANSON – SWEDEN
1992 TRIE UTAMI – INDONESIA
1993 ARINA – LITHUANIA
1994 WORTHY DAVIS – USA
1995 CRAMPS IN THE LEG – RUSSIA
1996 MONICA ANGHEL – ROMANIA
1997 MEISKE SHERHALAWAN – INDONESIA
2001 PROCONSUL – ROMANIA
2002 PAULA SELING – ROMANIA
2003 SHA BAOLIANG – CHINA
2004 ELEONOR – MALTA
2005 LINDA – ITALY
2008 RĂZVAN KRIVACH – ROMANIA
2009 ANTONINO – ITALY
2018 INIS NEZIRI - ALBANIA
2019 ELIZA G - ITALY
The performances of the „Golden Stag” International Festival:
1968
RITA PAVONE
GILBERT BECAUD
AMALIA ROGRIGUEZ
CATERINA CASELLI
BOBBY SOLO
CLIFF RICHARD
CONSTANTIN DRĂGHICI
1969
JULIETTE GRECO
CLIFF RICHARD
UDO JURGENS
GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI
ILINCA CERBACEV
MARGARETA PÂSLARU
1970
CONNIE FRANCIS
JOSEPHINE BAKER
MEMPHIS SLIM
JULIO IGLESIAS
MARIE LAFORET
RAPHAEL
DOINA BADEA
1971
THERESE STEINMETZ
CHARLES TRENET
SERGIO ENDRIGO
ENRICO MACIAS
ALAIN BARRIERE
DALIDA
DOINA BADEA
1992
PATRICIA KAAS
JOHNNY LOGAN & LINDA
MARTIN
RICCARDO FOGLI
SISTER SLEDGE
ANGELA SIMILEA
GABRIEL COTABIŢĂ
1993
TOTO CUTUGNO
DIONNE WARWICK
KYLIE MINOGUE
JERRY LEE LEWIS
ALEXANDRU ANDRIEŞ
NICU ALIFANTIS
HOLOGRAF
1994
JAMES BROWN
BOY GEORGE & JESUS
LOVES YOU
CULTURE BEAT
PAUL YOUNG
COMMODORES
RAY CHARLES
DAVID PALMER
SILVIA DUMITRESCU
LOREDANA GROZA
SFINX EXPERIENCE
MONICA ANGHEL
DIRECŢIA 5
1995
STATUS QUO
2 UNLIMITED
THE TEMPTATIONS
MC HAMMER
KENNY ROGERS
BELINDA CARLISLE
IOAN GYURY PASCU
1996
TOM JONES
COOLIO
VAYA CON DIOS
SOUL II SOUL
LA BOUCHE
ADRIAN DAMINESCU
TIMPURI NOI
ELENA CÂRSTEA
LOREDANA GROZA
MONICA ANGHEL
NARCISA SUCIU & MIRCEA RUSU BAND
1997
DIANA ROSS
SHERYL CROW
BIG MOUNTAIN
ZUCCHERO
GHEORGHE ZAMFIR
IRIS
ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.
MARGARETA PÂSLARU
2001
CYNDI LAUPER
INXS
UB40
SOCA BOYS
DIRECŢIA 5
HOLOGRAF
3 SUD-EST
ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.
2002
THE KELLY FAMILY
BOYZ II MEN
SCORPIONS
t.A.T.u
PROCONSUL
PASĂREA COLIBRI
IRIS
2003
RICKY MARTIN
SIMPLE MINDS
PAULA SELING
COMPACT
HOLOGRAF
NICU ALIFANTIS & ZAN
VAMA VECHE
2004
NINO D’ANGELO
THOMAS ANDERS
FLAVIUS TEODOSIU & EUROSOUND SHOW BAND
PINK
AURA URZICEANU
2005
JOE COCKER
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA
SLANG
ANALIA SELIS
PAVEL STRATAN
O-ZONE
ZDOB ŞI ZDUB
2008
SIMPLY RED
RUSLANA
IRIS
ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.
HORIA BRENCIU
NATALIA RODRIGUEZ
LOS VIVANCOS
2009
TIZIANO FERRO
STEVE VAI
HOT CHOCOLATE
SISTEM
HOLOGRAF
DIRECŢIA 5
LOREDANA
VAMA
2018
NICOLE SCHERZINGER
JAMES BLUNT
EDVIN MARTON
THE MOTANS
CARLA’S DREAMS
ELENI FOUREIRA
FLAVIUS & LINDA TEODOSIU
LOREDANA
AMY MACDONALD
PAULO BRAGANÇA
ANDRA
GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI
THE HUMANS
HORIA BRENCIU & HB ORCHESTRA
DELIA
2019
ZOLI TOTH
ȘTEFAN BĂNICĂ JR.
IRINA RIMES
EMELI SANDE
RONAN KEATING
CORINA CHIRIAC
GHEORGHE ZAMFIR
