Nicolae Bretan

Nicolae Bretan was a Romanian opera composer, baritone, conductor, and music critic. Born in Năsăud, Transylvania, he studied at the Conservatory of Cluj, the Vienna Music Academy, and the National Hungarian Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. He made his professional debut as a singer in 1913 and held various positions in the field of music throughout his life. Bretan's compositions include six operatic works, with his best-known being the opera Luceafărul. He faced adversity during the communist regime in Romania for refusing to join the Romanian Communist Party and was treated as a "non-person". Despite this, his contributions to Romanian opera and music remain significant.