THE TENORS' DUEL with ŞTEFAN von KORCH, GEORGE VÎRBAN, ANDREI MIHALCEA and MIHAI URZICANA

National Theatre - Studio Hall

September 14, 2026 at 19:00

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THE TENORS' DUEL with ŞTEFAN von KORCH, GEORGE VÎRBAN, ANDREI MIHALCEA and MIHAI URZICANA on September 14th in premiere at TNB – Studio Hall

The autumn opening of the Musical Extravaganza season is the occasion on which four top voices of the lyrical scene meet for the first time on the stage of the Studio Hall of the National Theatre, in the concert "THE TENORS' DUEL:" The host soloist, ȘTEFAN von KORCH, will share the stage with his distinguished guests: tenors George Vîrban, Andrei Mihalcea and Mihai Urzicana. The four will present a sparkling selection of works in which they have reaped stormy applause, on major stages in the country or abroad. Special guest will be the legend of the opera stages – Florin Georgescu.

Tenor Ștefan 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 and beyond the stage on which they were consecrated. We await equally those who love opera and operetta, as well as those who have not yet discovered their richness."

The four soloists whose voices enchant the audience on lyrical stages in the country and abroad, will offer the audience a brilliant sound journey through the opera and operetta repertoire, from famous and energetic arias to emotional lyrical moments. The audience will be pampered with a sumptuous, bubbly and emotional show, in which the richness of classical music will intertwine with the stage personality of the three artists.

The evening's program will include works loved by the public, such as "La donna è mobile", "O sole mio," being an incursion among landmark arias, but also among very beloved canzonets and famous pieces that awaken high feelings.

About

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

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

 With a dynamic presence in national and international cultural life, 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 National Opera in Iaşi in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.

In 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the concerts of great tradition "Los Tres Tenores," from Central America, alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras, he debuted at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana", his "signature" work, in which he also started the year on the stage of the Transylvania 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, through whose interpretation he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to the manner of interpreting  this work, he was invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in  Philharmonic Orchestras and Cultural Institutions in the country, but also abroad, in 2024, he was honored to open the Palermo Classica Festival in this work, with an appearance acclaimed in the press in the peninsula and in Romania alike.

 His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the National Opera in Bucharest where he was invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love" and "Falstaff," but also to the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani," by Vicenzo Belinni, one of the highest scores written for a male voice.

 The year 2024 ended with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theater,  at the Sala Palatului 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 Reino de Aragon Orchestra 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, but also in the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."

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

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

George Vîrban - Tenor

A tenor appreciated on both national and international stages, George Vîrban can be applauded on the stage of the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre in "The Circus Princess," (directed by Beatrice Rancea), "Die Fledermaus" or "The Land of Smiles."

He enjoys frequent invitations to lyrical institutions abroad: he will conclude the 24/25 season in the opera Eugene Onegin in Haifa, and the '26 season brings new collaborations to his soloist portfolio with opera houses such as the Tel Aviv Opera, the Shanghai Opera or the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

Also in 2025, he was present at the Metropolitan Opera in New York for the role of Tamino (cover) in the production "The Magic Flute," held a series of concerts in South Korea and debuted at the Aalto Theatre in Essen in the role of Don Ottavio from the opera Don Giovanni.

In the 2023/24 season he was a member of the Aalto Theater ensemble in Essen, and from 2019 to 2021, he was a member of the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

Andrei Mihalcea – Tenor

With a diverse repertoire, Andrei Mihalcea has appearances in musicals - his most recent success being the role of Romeo in the musical "Romeo & Juliet" a production of great notoriety from the season of the only operetta and musical theater in Bucharest, as well as well-known titles from the opera genre or famous works from the vocal-symphonic and chamber genres.

On the stage of the Opera Comica pentru Copii (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 but also 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, in the same institution.

Mihai Urzicana - Tenor

As an opera soloist, tenor Mihai Urzicana has won numerous national and international awards: First Prize at the National Music Interpretation 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 on the stages of musical theaters in the country and abroad.

Tenor Mihai Urzicana benefits from the guidance of personalities of the 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 National Operetta and Musical Theater "Ion Dacian" from Bucharest, tenor Mihai Urzicana is a master's graduate of the National University of Music Bucharest, of the Orthodox Theological Seminary Constanța and of 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 given 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 U.S.A, Latvia, Austria, Germany, Russia.

About the Musical Extravaganza season

Concerts are meant to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical scene, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that of 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 a chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.

The first two Musical Extravaganza seasons, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which they delighted the audience, together with the host soloist: 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 Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre – in the salon formula and the Pitești Philharmonic Orchestra – the most avant-garde in the country.