ARTmania Festival – 25-26 July 2025 – Sibiu (RO)

Sylvaine and her band will perform at ARTmania Festival 2025

Sylvaine, along with her live band, will take the stage at ARTmania Festival on July 25, 2025. The project of Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Kathrine Shepard is renowned for its unique blend of atmospheric black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock, exploring contrasts between light and darkness, serenity and chaos, spirituality and humanity. Each performance delivers an intense and immersive experience for the audience.

Sylvaine joins the festival’s impressive lineup alongside Dream Theater, pioneers of progressive metal, and Sivert Høyem (former frontman of Madrugada), the Norwegian artist known for his unmistakable voice and emotionally resonant melodies.

Sylvaine’s music reflects the fragile balance between the opposing forces of human existence. Whether performing solo or with her live band, Sylvaine creates a profound and emotional musical experience, offering the audience a temporary escape from the ordinary.

Sylvaine is a composer, recording engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut album, created with the support of her father, Stephen Shepard, and renowned engineers like Nick Terry and Ray Staff, received critical acclaim and led to notable collaborations, including with Alcest. Her album Wistful cemented her place in the international music scene, while Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone earned a nomination for Best Metal Album at Norway’s Spellemannprisen awards in 2018, making Sylvaine the first woman nominated in that category.

===

Sivert Høyem on the ARTmania 2025 Stage in Sibiu’s Large Square

The former lead singer of Madrugada joins the lineup alongside the legendary band Dream Theater.

ARTmania Festival 2025 promises a memorable evening for rock and alternative music lovers in Sibiu’s Large Square. On July 26, the festival’s main stage will host extraordinary performances: Dream Theater, one of the greatest progressive metal bands, and Sivert Høyem, the captivating Norwegian artist with an unmistakable voice. More surprises will be announced soon.

Sivert Høyem – The Melancholic Voice of Norway

Born on January 22, 1976, in Sortland, Norway, Sivert Høyem rose to fame as the lead singer of Madrugada, a band that left a lasting mark on the music scene in the ‘90s and 2000s. After the band’s dissolution in 2008, Høyem embarked on a successful solo career, releasing internationally acclaimed albums such as Ladies and Gentlemen of the Opposition (2004), Moon Landing (2009), Long Slow Distance (2011), Endless Love (2014), and Lioness (2016).

In 2024, Høyem released his latest album, On an Island, recorded in the historic Zoar Church in Nyksund. The album marks a new chapter in his career with a timeless and profound work that immerses listeners in a melancholic Nordic landscape. Created in an improvised studio over just 14 intense days, the album was co-produced by Christer Knutsen and drummer Børge Fjordheim, who will also accompany him on his 2025 tour.

Høyem’s voice, distinctive and deeply emotional, combines Nordic melancholy with rare depth, securing him a unique place in the international music scene. His performance at ARTmania promises a captivating and unforgettable moment.

Dream Theater and ARTmania’s Coming of Age

That same evening, the stage will be electrified by Dream Theater, one of the most influential progressive metal bands in the world. Their presence at ARTmania underscores the festival’s commitment to bringing top-tier artists to a magical setting in the heart of Transylvania. The 2025 edition also marks ARTmania Festival’s 18th anniversary, a milestone the organizers plan to celebrate with a special edition full of surprises for the fans.

ARTmania Festival was the first event in Romania to merge rock music with various art forms, turning it into a symbol of contemporary culture. With its unique concept, the festival has offered audiences not only concerts but also art exhibitions, book launches, and film screenings, all set in the historic and vibrant atmosphere of Sibiu’s Large Square.

Over the years, ARTmania’s stage has welcomed legendary bands such as Meshuggah, Nightwish, Serj Tankian, Porcupine Tree, Helloween, and many others. The 17th edition featured major names like KORN, The Flower Kings, Spiritbox, Borknagar, Igorrr, Satyricon, Lavina, Alpha Q, Awake the Demons, and TAINE. The three-day festival drew 25,000 attendees.

===

ARTmaniacs, the wait is over. Get ready to witness rock history live at ARTmania Festival – Dream Theater is set to electrify Sibiu on July 25, 2025, in the heart of Large Square!

Nearly 25 years after its only concert in Romania, Dream Theater returns in its classic lineup, featuring the legendary Mike Portnoy on drums, recognized as one of the greatest drummers in the world, for a spectacular show in Sibiu.

The legendary American rock band will take the stage at the ARTmania Festival in the summer of 2025, performing on the first day of the festival, July 25. Mike Portnoy, the drummer and founding member of the band, recently returned “home” after 15 years, joining guitarist John Petrucci, vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to perform for Romanian fans in Sibiu’s Piața Mare.

Dream Theater is known for its immense influence on progressive music, captivating fans worldwide. The band has three GRAMMY nominations, a GRAMMY Award in 2022 for the song “The Alien” in the “Best Metal Performance” category, and over 15 million albums sold. Its landmark 1992 album, Images & Words, was certified gold and listed among Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” Guitar World magazine ranked its next album, Awake (1994), as #1 in the “Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994,” while A Change of Seasons (1996) was broadcast on NBC during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The 1999 concept album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was voted by fans as the greatest progressive rock album of all time and ranked 15th in Classic Rock magazine’s Greatest Concept Albums list. In 2009, Black Clouds & Silver Linings reached #6 on the Billboard Top 200, and A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011) and Dream Theater (2013) continued its Top 10 successes. The album The Astonishing (2016) was described by Consequence of Sound as “a truly unique experience,” showcasing the band’s ongoing innovation.

With three platinum and two gold videos and its induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010, Dream Theater further solidified its status with the album Distance Over Time (2019). Its latest album, A View From The Top Of The World, continues its commitment to pushing musical boundaries. In 2023, Dream Theater launched the DREAMSONIC tour, a traveling progressive music show, and in 2024, founding drummer Mike Portnoy reunited with

the classic lineup, thrilling fans. The band is currently working on its 16th album, the first with this lineup in over 15 years.

The year 2025 brings a double celebration at ARTmania Festival: the festival marks its 18th edition, while the legendary band Dream Theater will celebrate 40 years of activity on the Piața Mare stage in Sibiu, from July 25 to 26. ARTmania Festival is the first event in Romania to blend art with rock music, becoming a symbol of contemporary culture. With a unique concept, the festival has offered not only concerts but also art exhibitions, book launches, and film screenings. Sibiu’s Piața Mare, with its rich history and unique atmosphere, has become the festival’s stage, hosting legendary bands like Meshuggah, Nightwish, Serj Tankian, Porcupine Tree, Helloween, and many others. The 17th edition featured KORN, The Flower Kings, Spiritbox, Borknagar, Igorrr, Satyricon, Lavina, Alpha Q, Awake the Demons, and TAINE, gathering 25,000 participants over three days.

===

Hear-hear: in 2025, ARTmania Festival will turn 18, so we’ll celebrate our “adulthood” headbanging on the huuuge riffs of one of music giants who is also celebrating some decades on stage.

What a journey, for them, but also for us, this little, boutique music festival growing older and older in the heart of Transylvania.

There are exactly 14 days left until you’ll find out WHO this first headliner to take the stage on the opening day of ARTmania 2025 is. So, stay tuned!