„Nessun Dorma” – with tenors Ștefan von Korch, George Vîrban and Andrei Mihalcea at Sala Dalles
The opening of the Musical Extravaganza 2025 / 2026 season is the occasion on which three top voices of the lyrical scene meet for the first time on the stage of Sala Dalles in the concert "Nessun Dorma:" the host of the evening will be tenor Ștefan von Korch, who will share the stage with his distinguished guests: tenors George Vîrban and Andrei Mihalcea. The three will present a brilliant selection of works in which they have gathered stormy applause, on major stages in the country or abroad.
Tenorul Ştefan von Korch, coordonatorul concertelor Musical Extravaganza spune: “Vă invitâm să descoperiţi sau redescoperiţi o selecţie de piese foarte cunoscute, pe care vrem să le dăruim publicului şi dincolo de scena pe care ele au fost consacrate. Îi invităm în egală măsură pe cei ce iubesc opera şi opereta, cât şi pe cei care încă nu i-au descoperit bogăţia.”
Accompanied by pianist Marius Groza, the three soloists 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 THE SOLOISTS
About ** Ştefan von Korch – Tenor **
Tenor Ştefan von Korch is monthly appreciated by the public in the role of 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 and Craiova.
He is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of the capabilities of the male voice, through whose interpretation he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to the manner of interpreting this work, he was invited to over 40 Carmina Burana performances, in the Philharmonic Orchestras and Cultural Institutions in the country, but also abroad, in 2024 he had the honor of opening the Palermo Classica Festival in this work, with an appearance acclaimed in the press from the peninsula and from Romania alike.
His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the Bucharest National Opera 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 male voices.
With a dynamic presence in national cultural life, Ştefan von Korch began the year 2025 on the stage of the Transylvania State Philharmonic, in Carmina Burana, his "signature" work, in which he will also open the season of the Arad Philharmonic in October, passed through the Iași National Opera in "The Merry Widow 2.0" directed by Andrei Şerban and is running the series of concerts Musical Extravaganza, for which he is the host-soloist and artistic coordinator.
He ended 2024 with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, 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 "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.
George Vîrban - Tenor
A tenor appreciated both on 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 in lyrical institutions abroad: he will conclude the 24/25 season in the opera Eugene Onegin in Haifa, and the 25/26 season brings new collaborations in his portfolio as a soloist 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 Theatre 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 both appearances in musicals - his most recent success being the role of Romeo in the musical "Romeo & Juliet" a production of great notoriety from the current season of the National Operetta and Musical Theater "Ion Dacian," as well as resounding titles from the opera genre or famous works from the vocal-symphonic and chamber genres.
On the stage of the Comic Opera for Children, 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 from the opera Don Giovanni - Clyde Opera Group Glasgow, Scotland, and in 2023 he made his international debut in the role of Count Almaviva from the opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini Clyde Opera Group, in the same institution.
Despre stagiunea Musical Extravaganza
Concertele au menirea de a oferi publicului bucuria întâlnirii cu nume reprezentative ale scenei lirice, într-un cadru mai restrâns, ce oferă o perspectivă diferită asupra actului artistic faţă de cea de pe impozanta scenă a operei, dar şi de a apropia genul clasic de publicul de toate vârstele. Spectatorii sunt invitaţi să îşi admire soliştii preferaţi într-o atmosferă selectă, completată de un acompaniament de cameră, ce pune în valoare interpreţii într-o lumină caldă şi personală.
Prima stagiune Musical Extravaganza, derulată sub îndrumarea artistică a tenorului Ştefan von Korch, a inclus peste 10 concerte de succes, in care au încântat publicul, împreună cu solistul amfitrion: soprana Cristina Maria Oltean, soprana Daniela Bucşan, tenorul Alin Stoica, baritonii Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean şi Fang Shuang, pianistul Alexandru Burcă, acordeonistul Emy Drăgoi, pianista Bogdana Cocîrlea, şi Orchestra Teatrului Naţional de Operetă şi Musical Ion Dacian – în formula de salon.
Pentru a fi la curent cu evenimentele următoare vă invităm pe pagina Musical Extravaganza.
**Translation:** About the season Musical Extravaganza
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 of the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to the audience 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 Musical Extravaganza season, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 10 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, and the Orchestra of the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre - in the salon formula.
To keep up to date with the following events, we invite you to the Musical Extravaganza page.
