INVITATION TO WALTZ – a ball fairytale in dance steps  

December 11, 2026, 7:00 PM

"Constantin Tanase" Theater - Savoy Hall

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On the evening of December 11th, in 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 Ştefan 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 in which 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 velvety 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, in which each note becomes a waltz step, and each moment – an invitation to dream. The repertoire, rich and seductive, will bring back to the present the splendor of the balls of yesteryear with arias and duets from Kalman, Lehar, Strauss and Shostakovich that will evoke the grace, passion and romance of a world in which music carries within it the splendor of the 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, carried out monthly in the capital, with extensions on the stages of the Philharmonic Orchestras in Braşov, Piteşti, Sibiu, Craiova.

 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 Philharmonic Orchestras in 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 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," he opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana", his "signature" work, in which he also began the year on the stage of the Transylvania State Philharmonic.

He 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 Carmina Burana performances, in the 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 acclaimed appearance in the press in the peninsula and in 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 a male voice.

 He ended the year 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 work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, but also in the European premiere of "Traiano in Dacia."

 Over time, he has interpreted the specific roles of 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 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, Auditorium of Zaragoza, Steri Palace in Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich Music Academy, National Theatre Bratislava.

About the season Musical Extravaganza

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 Musical Extravaganza season, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which the public was delighted, 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, Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra and Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre Orchestra – in salon format.

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 activity. She represents a symbol of Romanian artistic excellence carried beyond borders, successfully combining her musical vocation and spiritual commitment to the great historical figures of Romania.

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

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

She gave recitals in Paris, Livorno, at the 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.

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

She has collaborated with important orchestras and philharmonics in Romania - Bucharest, Botoșani, Arad, Târgu Mureș, Sibiu, Brăila, Râmnicu Vâlcea, and her symphonic vocal repertoire includes, among others, "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff, "Johannes Passion" and "Matthaus Passion" by Bach, "Christmas Oratorio" by Camille Saint-Saens; "Requiem" by W.A. Mozart; "Symphony No. IX" by Beethoven and "Requiem" by G. Verdi.

About the 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 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 seasons of Musical Extravaganza, held under the artistic direction 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 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.