CARMINA BURANA
December 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
CARMINA BURANA – with tenor ŞTEFAN von KORCH in the solo line on December 9 - Cluj NAPOCA Student Culture House
CARMINA BURANA, the work that is performed somewhere in the world every 2 minutes, finds its way to the hearts of the Cluj Napoca audience, in a staging and interpretation worthy of its status as an emblem of the symphonic vocal repertoire, in the Musical Extravaganza season coordinated artistically by tenor Ştefan von Korch. The performance will mean for music lovers the chance to hear tenor Ştefan von Korch in his "signature" score, having opened the Palermo Classica Festival in Italy throughout his career, as well as many national philharmonic seasons with Carmina Burana, and this autumn he will kick off the seasons of the Târgu Mureș and Satu Mare Philharmonics, in this significant work for his career. Alongside him will be the beloved soprano Oana Maria Şerban and the acclaimed baritone Balla Sandor.
In the concert on December 9th, the audience will also enjoy the participation of the members of the Symphony Orchestra and the members of the Mixed Choir of the Târgu Mureș State Philharmonic. The event will take place under the baton of maestro conductor Cristian Sandu.
From the devastating power of the famous "O Fortuna" to moments of lyricism, exuberance, and humor, the audience will be captivated by the unique tumult of this work, the complexity of the orchestral fabric, the impetuosity of the choral interventions, and the fascinating solo lines that will narrate the stories that Carl Orff found in a collection of medieval texts and transformed into the world's most famous vocal-symphonic work.
Tenor Ştefan von Korch, artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season and a soloist particularly appreciated for the tenor line in Carmina Burana explains: "There are few compositions that have crossed the boundaries of classical music and become part of the universal musical heritage. "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff is one of them – a symbolic, instantly recognizable work, whose sonic imprint – "O Fortuna" – has an unmistakable resonance that goes beyond concert halls, animating manifestations in cinematic, theatrical, or choreographic art and many others. The chance to hear it live on stage, in its full embodiment and artistic complexity, is a transformative experience for any spectator and a test of mastery for the artists."
The audience will have the opportunity to listen to the exceptional performance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, a soloist who began his musical training at the Art High School in Oradea, continued at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, and is currently appreciated on national and international lyrical stages for his tenor line in Carmina Burana and for opera roles. For his interpretation of the score specific to his voice in Carmina Burana, he was praised at the opening of the Palermo Classica festival and applauded over 40 times on the stages of Romanian philharmonics. This very autumn, he will open the seasons of the Satu Mare and Târgu Mureș Philharmonics in this work, which is a reference for his career.
With a fascinating circular structure – symbolizing the inexorable force of destiny itself, Carmina Burana musically embodies in 24 tableaux the tumult of life, desire, joy, the rebirth of nature, and the call of carnal pleasures, being thematically as relevant today as it was on the day of the performance's premiere, which took place in 1937. A testament to its extraordinary power to fascinate entire generations of listeners is the very fact that every two minutes, somewhere, a new interpretation of this masterpiece begins, which you are invited to discover or rediscover.
The audience will enjoy in this event the exceptional performance of the Bihor tenor Ştefan von Korch, a soloist who began his musical training at the Art High School in Oradea, continued at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, and is currently appreciated on national and international lyrical stages for his tenor line in Carmina Burana and for opera roles. For his interpretation of the score specific to his voice in Carmina Burana, he was praised at the opening of the Palermo Classica festival and applauded over 40 times on the stages of Romanian philharmonics. Even this autumn, he will open the seasons of the Satu Mare and Târgu Mureș Philharmonics, in this work, a reference for his career.
The soloist says: “every time I sing this work it is a joy, that's why I invite you to experience together this composition with extraordinary intensity."
The concert is part of the series through which tenor Ştefan von Korch invites the audience from Bucharest and the country to discover or rediscover the masterful "Carmina Burana."
The performances of the work Carmina Burana in the Musical Extravaganza season are scheduled as follows:
The concert is part of a series through which tenor Ştefan von Korch invites the public from Cluj Napoca and from the country to discover or rediscover the masterful "Carmina Burana."
The performances of the work Carmina Burana in the Musical Extravaganza season are scheduled as follows:
September 18 – Baia Mare – ATP Tech Center
December 9 – Cluj Napoca – Students' Cultural Center
February 18 – Pitești – Trade Union Cultural Center – tickets soon
February 21 – Bucharest – Palace Hall
February 28 – Constanţa – House of Trade Union Culture.
March 20 Bacău – Radu Beligan Summer Theatre
May 15 – Oradea – House of Trade Union Culture
About ** Ştefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist Musical Extravaganza**
Ştefan 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 audiences monthly as host 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 the national cultural life and beyond, Ştefan von Korch will open this autumn the seasons of the Philharmonic Orchestras of Satu Mare and Târgu Mureş with his signature work, „Carmina Burana" and will return to the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre in the concert „Duelul Tenorilor," and since the beginning of the year, he has already been present on the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre, at the Braşov Philharmonic, Sibiu, Târgu Mureş, Arad and on the stage of the Iaşi National Opera in „Văduva veselă 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.
În 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the concerts of great tradition "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 season of the Arad Philharmonic 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 Halls 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 both the peninsula's and Romania's press.
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 to 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 Halls 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 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 in Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich University of Music, National Theatre Bratislava.
Oana Maria Şerban – ** Soprano **
With a warm smile and a voice that blends sensitivity with strength, Oana Șerban conquers stages at home and abroad. Her unique timbre has the power to transform each piece into a story and each note into an emotion. From the energy of opera roles, to the delicacy of pop-opera and the joy of musical theatre, Oana lives each stage appearance as an encounter with her soul audience.
This year, soprano Oana Maria Şerban was "Elle" – the sole character in "The Indifferent Beauty" and "The Human Voice," on the stage of the "Ion Dacian" National Operetta and Musical Theatre, she performed the role of Miss Honey in "Matilda," the Children's Opera musical awarded at the UNITER Gala, and she debuted in the role of Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," a production of the Bucharest National Opera.
Last year, the talented coloratura soprano sang in the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles, on the occasion of the opening of the Paris Olympic Games, performed at the Musikverein in Vienna in the role of Dochița from the Operetta "Crai nou", alongside the Bucharest National Opera, and debuted at the Bucharest National Opera in 2023 in the roles of Olympia in the opera The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Gilda in the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, and most recently Susanna, from the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She is the favorite heroine of the little ones in memorable roles on the stage of the Children's Comic Opera, where she was, among others, Rosina in the opera The Barber of Seville, Clorinda in the opera Cinderella, both by Gioachino Rossini, Norina in the opera Don Pasquale and Adina, from the opera The Elixir of Love, by Gaetano Donizetti.
Balla Sandor – baritone
Currently a soloist at the Hungarian Opera in Cluj Napoca, he frequently collaborates with other lyrical institutions and will perform in the current season of the Bucharest National Opera in the title role of the opera "Rigoletto" by G. Verdi.
Cristian Sandu, conductor
With a solid national and international career, he was invited to the Bucharest Opera Festival 2026 to conduct the production of "Cinderella" by G. Rossini.
He is currently a university lecturer at the "Gheorghe Dima" National Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, conductor of the orchestra and opera ensemble, and a conducting professor. Trained under the guidance of masters Victor Dumănescu and Petre Sbârcea, he debuted in 2004 conducting the Romanian National Opera in Cluj Napoca.
Cristian Sandu is a graduate of the "Gheorghe Dima" National Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, with specializations in Choral Conducting, Orchestral Conducting, and Musicology, as well as a graduate of the "Ilya Musin" International Conducting Academy in Saint Petersburg, Leonid Korchmar's class, and holds a doctorate in music.
Among his international appearances are concerts with the Kiev Radio Orchestra at the Daegu International Opera Festival (2006). The National Orchestra of Ukraine, the State Orchestra Klassika of Saint Petersburg, the Bruno Maderna Symphony Orchestra of Forlì, the Dnepropetrovsk Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sinfolario Orchestra of Lecco, the Daegu Opera Festival Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Palermo, the Tokyo New City Orchestra, and others.
Among the highlights of his career is the national premiere of Bellini's opera La Sonnambula with the National Philharmonic of Moldova.
About the Musical Extravaganza season
Chamber 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 soloist: sopranos Oana Maria Şerban, Cristina Maria Oltean, Daniela Bucşan, tenors George Vîrban, Mihai Urzicana, Andrei Mihalcea, Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, pianist Marius Groza and the Orchestra of the Ion Dacian National Theatre of Operetta and Musical - in salon formation and the Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra - the most avant-garde in the country.
Starting with the 2026 / 2027 season, the Musical Extravaganza season will also bring complete works to the public - the first of which will be the cantata "Carmina Burana", followed by Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem.
