Dumitru Fărcaș
Dumitru Fărcaș (13 May 1938 – 7 August 2018) was a Romanian taragot player. He played on all major stages in the world and made the taragot known all over the world. He was born in the Groși village, in Maramureș. He grew up in a family of pipe players, and his older brothers played the clarinet. He studied the oboe at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca. He was the leader of the "Mărțișorul" orchestra from 1962, with which he won many national and international awards. Fărcaș was made "honorary citizen" of the cities Cluj-Napoca , Bucharest, Reșița, and Baia Mare, as well as Pyongyang. In 2008 he was awarded the "Doctor honoris causa" degree by the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy. In 2009 he became the honorary patron of the taragot website "11fhMSE.com". In May 2018, during televised celebrations for his 80th birthday, Fărcaș was knighted by Romania's president Klaus Iohannis. He received the "National Order of Faithful Service". As a result, Dumitru was buried with military honours in August 2018.