DUEL OF THE TENORS with ŞTEFAN von KORCH, ANDREI MIHALCEA and MIHAI URZICANA

National Theatre - Studio Hall

September 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM

"DUEL OF THE TENORS" with ŞTEFAN von KORCH and guests premieres on September 14 at TNB – Studio Hall, opening the Musical Extravaganza season

The autumn opening of the season Musical Extravaganza is the occasion when three top voices of the opera scene meet for the first time at the National Theatre – Studio Hall. in the concert "Duel of the Tenors", which has already become an annual tradition.  The host soloist, Ștefan von Korch, will share the stage with his distinguished guests: tenors Andrei Mihalcea and Mihai Urzicana.  Alongside pianist Alexandru Burcă, the three will present a brilliant selection of works in which they have garnered thunderous applause, on great stages in the country and abroad.

Tenor Ştefan von Korch, the coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza concerts, says: "We invite you to discover or rediscover a selection of very well-known pieces, which we want to give to the public beyond the stage where they were consecrated.  We equally await those who love opera and operetta, as well as those who have not yet discovered its richness."

The three soloists whose voices enchant audiences on lyrical stages at home and abroad will offer the public a brilliant sonic journey through the opera and operetta repertoire, from famous and energetic arias to moving lyrical moments. The audience will be treated to a sumptuous, sparkling, and emotional performance, in which the richness of classical music will intertwine with the stage personality of the three artists.

The evening's program will include beloved public works, such as „La donna è mobile", „O sole mio," being an excursion through landmark arias, but also through very beloved canzonettas and famous pieces that awaken high sentiments. 

About

** Ștefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist  **

Ștefan von Korch, applauded for his tenor line in Carmina Burana as well as for his roles in „I Puritani," „The Barber of Seville", „Rigoletto", „The Elixir of Love", or „Falstaff", delights the audience monthly as a host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions on the stages in Brașov, Pitești, Sibiu, Craiova, and Târgu Mureș. 

 With a dynamic presence in national cultural life and beyond,  Ştefan von Korch has already been present since the beginning of the year on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, at the Braşov Philharmonic, Sibiu, Târgu Mureş, Arad, and on the stage of the Iaşi National Opera in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.

In 2025, he was the only Romanian soloist in the highly traditional concerts "Los Tres Tenores," in Central America, alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras, he debuted at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," he opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana," his "signature" work, with which he also started the year on the stage of the Transilvania State Philharmonic.

It is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of the male voice's capabilities, which he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to his performance style, he has been invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in Philharmonic and cultural institutions across the country, as well as abroad. In 2024, he had the honor of opening the Palermo Classica Festival with this work, with an acclaimed appearance in the press of the peninsula and Romania alike.

 His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the National Opera in Bucharest, where he has been invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," and "Falstaff," as well as the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani" by Vicenzo Bellini, one of the highest parts written for the male voice.

 He concluded the year 2024 with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, at the Palace Hall, and at the Philharmonic Orchestras in Târgu-Mureș and Timișoara. 

 In 2023, he was the only Romanian soloist in the China Tour 2023, alongside the Orchestra Reino de Aragon from Spain.

 He delighted the audience with his voice in 3 national premieres: "I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula," both by Vicenzo Bellini, the vocal-symphonic work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, as well as the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."

 Over time, he has performed roles specific to his voice in the very well-known operas: "Rigoletto," "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," "Don Pasquale," on the stages of the Bucharest, Cluj, and Iași Operas, and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonics, Mozart's "Requiem," Bach's "Christmas Oratorio," and Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang."

Internationally, he has performed at the Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre and Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germany, Auditorium of Zaragoza, Steri Palace of Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich Music Academy, National Theatre Bratislava.

Andrei Mihalcea – Tenor

With a diverse repertoire, Andrei Mihalcea has appeared in musicals - his most recent success being the role of Romeo in the musical "Romeo & Juliet," a highly acclaimed production from the season of the only opera and musical theatre in Bucharest, as well as sonorous titles from the opera genre or famous works from vocal-symphonic and chamber genres.

On the stage of the Children's Comic Opera, he delights both young and old alike in "The Barber of Seville," "Cinderella," both by Gioachino Rossini, "The Elixir of Love," "The Abduction from the Seraglio," or "The Magic Flute," by W.A. Mozart, as well as in the musical "The Sound of Music," directed by Răzvan Mazilu.)

In 2024, he made his international debut in the role of Don Ottavio in the opera Don Giovanni - Clyde Opera Group Glasgow, Scotland, and in 2023, he made his international debut in the role of Count Almaviva in the opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, Clyde Opera Group, at the same institution.

As an opera soloist, tenor Mihai  Urzicana has won numerous national and international awards: First Prize at the National Music Performance Competition  Mihail Jora, First Prize at the National Competition Opera Start,  Second Prize and Audience Award at  L'Assoluta Virginia Zeani – The International Grand Prix of Romania – Tg. Mureș,  Second Prize – International Competition Vox Artis – Sibiu and  is a constant presence on concert stages and musical theater stages  in the country and abroad.

Tenor Mihai Urzicana benefits from the guidance of personalities of world lyrical art, such as:  Liora Maurer and Lucy Arner – Metropolitan Opera New York, baritone George Petean and director Sharon Mohar – Les Maîtres Sonneurs – France.

Soloist of the "Ion Dacian" National Theater of Operetta and Musical in Bucharest, tenor Mihai Urzicana is  a master's graduate from the  National  University  of Music Bucharest, the Orthodox Theological Seminary of Constanța, and the Faculty of Theology, Sacred Art and Pastoral Sections.

Mihai Urzicana is also a soloist of the Armonia Choir from Constanța, an ensemble with which he has performed concerts all over the world (England, Ireland, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia, Poland, Switzerland, Israel, etc.) and has won Gold Medals at world choral competitions in the USA, Latvia, Austria, Germany, Russia.

About the season Musical Extravaganza

The concerts are meant to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical stage, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that on the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to audiences of all ages. Spectators are invited to admire their favorite soloists in a select atmosphere, complemented by chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.

The first two seasons of Musical Extravaganza, conducted under the artistic direction of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which they delighted the audience, along with the host soloists: sopranos Oana Maria Şerban, Cristina Maria Oltean, Daniela Bucşan, tenors George Vîrban, Mihai Urzicana, Andrei Mihalcea, Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, pianist Marius Groza and the Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical Ion Dacian – in salon formation and the Orchestra of the Piteşti Philharmonic – the most avant-garde in the country.