„MAMMA, son tanto felice" – 💝 Musical gift for Women's Day with tenor ŞTEFAN von KORCH and guests   March 8, 2026, 7:00 PM

National Theatre Bucharest - Studio Hall

Women's Day is celebrated with a premiere event, in the Musical Extravaganza season, on the stage of the National Theatre – Studio Hall, on March 8th from 7:00 PM. Host tenor Ștefan von Korch, along with soprano Oana Maria Șerban and pianist Alexandru Burcă invite the public to the extraordinary concert „MAMMA, son tanto felice." From the tenderness of songs dedicated to mothers to grand musical declarations of love, „MAMMA, son tanto felice" will honor the facets of femininity and the essential roles that ladies play in our lives.

Tenor Ștefan von Korch, artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, details: «On this special day, we invite you to a program in which music becomes a declaration of love, gratitude, and admiration,  with pieces inspired by the muses in our lives, men's lives. From mother to sister, wife, or lover, we will sing for and about the ladies in our lives. You will hear «Mamma, son tanto felice»,  «Vivo per lei,» or «Maria» and many other famous refrains, in an evening that we wish to transform into a musical gift offered to all ladies. »

Conceived as a musical tribute to femininity, the concert included in the Musical Extravaganza season will bring together famous pages, beloved arias, and melodies, in a program where emotion, elegance, and joy meet under the sign of refrains that have crossed generations, in a concert about her, about the woman who inspires, loves, gives, and transforms the world around her.

About the protagonists:

 ** 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," and "Falstaff," delights the audience monthly as a host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions on the stages in Braşov, Piteşti, Sibiu, Craiova, and Târgu Mureş. 

 With a dynamic presence in the national cultural life and beyond, Ştefan von Korch will open the seasons of the Philharmonic Orchestras in Satu Mare and Târgu Mureş this autumn with his signature work, "Carmina Burana," and will return to the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest in the concert "Duel of the Tenors." Since the beginning of the year, he has already performed on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, at the Philharmonic Orchestras of Braşov, 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 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, in 2024 having 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 associated with over 15 performances at the Bucharest National Opera where he has been invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," and "Falstaff," as well as the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani," by Vicenzo Bellini, one of the highest parts written for the male voice.

 The year 2024 concluded with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Theatre of Operetta and Musical, at the Palace Hall, and at the Philharmonic Orchestras of Târgu-Mureş and Timişoara. 

 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, as well as the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."

 Over time, he has interpreted 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 Iaşi, and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonic orchestras, "Requiem" by Mozart, "Christmas Oratorio" by Bach, and "Lobgesang" by Mendelssohn.

Internationally, she 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.

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 experiences each stage appearance as a meeting with her soul audience.

In the current year, soprano Oana Maria Şerban was "Elle" – the only 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," a Children's Comic Opera musical awarded at the UNITER Gala, and debuted in the role of Rosina from 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 Vienna Musikverein 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 from Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann, Gilda from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto, and most recently Susanna, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. 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 from Gioachino Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, Clorinda from the opera Cinderella, both by Gioachino Rossini, Norina from the opera Don Pasquale, and Adina, from Gaetano Donizetti's opera The Elixir of Love.

**Alexandru Burcă (Pianist) **

Alexandru Burcă brings brilliance to piano scores in numerous productions of the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre in Bucharest, is the stage partner of actress Oana Pellea in the play "Callas," presented on the stage of the Bucharest National Opera, has enchanted audiences with magical touches of the piano keys in the successful national musical Mamma Mia, and composed the music for the production "Ileana cea vitează."

He has held concerts and recitals at the Romanian Athenaeum, the 'George Enescu' International Festival, Romanian Television, Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society, Bucharest Municipality Museum – Șuțu Palace, 'George Cavadia' Philharmonic, Bacău Philharmonic, National Museum of Art, Kazakhstan, Russia, Moldova, France, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Italy, Canada.

About the seasonMusical Extravaganza

Chamber 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 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, 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 and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, pianist Marius Groza and the Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical Ion Dacian – in salon formation and the Pitești 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.