 His increasingly strong links with his Romanian roots have been the catalyst for a collaboration with the singer and actress Ada Milea, resulting in the pieces "The Island" and "God’s Playground".Bălănescu was commissioned by Opera North to set a Shakespeare sonnet as part of the presentation of Shakespeare's complete works by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007.Also that year, Bălănescu was awarded the inaugural "Gopo" award for best original soundtrack for his work on "The Way I Spent the End of the World".