INVITATION TO WALTZ – a ballroom fairy tale in dance steps  

November 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM

"Constantin Tanase" Theatre - Savoy Hall

On the evening of December 11th, during the Musical Extravaganza season, the lights will illuminate the elegance of a bygone era, and the "Constantin Tănase" Revue Theatre will become the stage for a fairytale ball. Host tenor Ștefan von Korch and soprano Elina Velica will invite the audience to join them in waltz steps, in a show where music and dance intertwine in a true holiday fairy tale.

Tenor Ştefan von Korch, host and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, says:

«„The Invitation to the Waltz" is not just a concert, but a journey into a time of elegance and nobility, an evening where each spectator becomes part of the story. »

With a fairytale musical selection, the tenor with a brilliant voice - Ștefan von Korch and the soprano with a velvet timbre - Elina Velica, will guide the audience through a festive and sparkling sound universe, inspired by the charm of Viennese evenings. Under famous chords, the atmosphere will come to life like an aristocratic salon, where each note becomes a waltz step, and each moment - an invitation to dream. The rich and seductive repertoire will bring back the splendor of bygone balls with arias and duets from Kalman, Lehar, Strauss, and Shostakovich, which will evoke the grace, passion, and romance of a world where music carries the splendor of winter holidays.

### About the protagonists:

** Ștefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist  *

Tenor Ştefan von Korch, whose voice is recognized for the part in Carmina Burana, but also for the roles in "I Puritani," "The Barber of Seville," "Rigoletto" or "The Elixir of Love," is the host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project that brings opera and operetta closer to the public, held monthly in the capital, with extensions on the stages of the Philharmonic Orchestras of Braşov, Piteşti, Sibiu, Craiova.

 With a dynamic presence in the 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 Philharmonic Orchestras of Braşov, Sibiu, Târgu Mureş, 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 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.

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

 His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the National Opera of Bucharest where he has been a guest 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 Bellini, one of the highest scores written for the male voice.

 He ended the year 2024 with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, at the Palace Hall, and at the Philharmonic Orchestras of 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 interpreted roles specific to his voice in 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 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.

About the Musical Extravaganza season

The concerts aim 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 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 Musical Extravaganza season, 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: soprano Cristina Maria Oltean, soprano Daniela Bucşan, tenor Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, the Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Ion Dacian National Theatre of Operetta and Musical - in salon formation.

About Elina Velica – soprano

With a velvety timbre and a presence full of grace and elegance, soprano Elina Velica is appreciated and known for her roles in classical operas as well as for her diverse cultural and musical activities. She represents a symbol of Romanian artistic excellence carried beyond borders, successfully combining her musical vocation and spiritual commitment to the great historical personalities of Romania.

She is a soloist of the Representative Orchestra of the Ministry of National Defence, conducted by Colonel Aurel Gheorghiță, as well as an ambassador in education and transformation within the project "Transform Nation", within which she has performed recitals both on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest and on the stage of the Palace of the Republic in Chișinău.

Last year, he was part of the prestigious project "Romanian Harmony – Queen Maria – Queen of all Romanians", held at the Kursaal Palace in San Marino.

He performed recitals in Paris, Livorno, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, as well as at Queen Maria's Castle on the Black Sea coast in Balchik, Bulgaria, in the production "Mozart and Salieri", conducted by Iurie Florea.  

He debuted on the stage of the Bucharest National Opera with the role of Fiordiligi in the premiere of Mozart's opera "Così fan tutte", a co-production with the Garsington Opera, Great Britain, and was a delightful Pamina in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" on the stage of the Children's Comic Opera.

He collaborated with the important orchestras and philharmonics in Romania - Bucharest, Botoșani, Arad, Târgu Mureș, Sibiu, Brăila, Râmnicu Vâlcea, and his symphonic vocal repertoire includes, among others, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana", Bach's "Johannes Passion" and "Matthaus Passion", Camille Saint-Saëns' "Christmas Oratorio"; W.A. Mozart's "Requiem"; Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" and G. Verdi's "Requiem".

About the Musical Extravaganza Season

The concerts are intended 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: soprano Cristina Maria Oltean, soprano Daniela Bucşan and Oana Maria Şerban, baritones Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, and the Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra – the most avant-garde in the country.