Top artists from Romania and Albania, reunited in Bucharest for the extraordinary concert "The Voice of Friendship"
The Association of Albanians in Romania (ALAR), in partnership with the "Ion Dacian" National Operetta and Musical Theatre, is organizing on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 7:00 PM, the extraordinary concert "The Voice of Friendship", an event of high artistic caliber dedicated to the cultural ties and friendship between Romania and Albania.
On the stage of the "Ion Dacian" National Operetta and Musical Theatre in Bucharest, soprano Ionela Mani, tenor Gjergji Mani, soprano Eva Golemi, baritone Armand Likaj, and composer Aulon Naçi will reunite in a program that will bring into dialogue universal lyrical repertoire with representative pieces of Romanian and Albanian musical heritage.
The artists will be joined by the Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical "Ion Dacian", under the baton of conductor Alexandru Ilie, giving the concert the scope of a true Romanian-Albanian lyrical gala.
A special dimension of the event is given by the presence in Bucharest, at the special invitation of the Albanian League Association in Romania, of three important personalities of the musical life in Albania: Eva Golemi, Armand Likaj and Aulon Naçi. Leading representatives of the Albanian music scene, with extensive international experience, the three will bring before the Bucharest audience a representative expression of contemporary lyrical and musical art from Albania.
Eva Golemi, prima ballerina of the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet and Popular Ensemble of Albania, is one of the most renowned and experienced sopranos on the Albanian lyrical stage. In a career spanning over three decades, the artist has performed some of the most challenging and prestigious roles in the universal repertoire, including Aida, Abigaille, Leonora, and Violetta from Verdi's operas, as well as Tosca, Turandot, Cio-Cio-San, and Mimi from Puccini's creations. Her international career has taken her to important stages in Europe, the United States, and Asia, with performances at Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Seoul Opera Theatre among her appearances.
In recent years, Eva Golemi has confirmed her benchmark position in Albanian lyrical life through the interpretation of major roles: in February 2025, she sang the title role in Aida in Franco Zeffirelli's production, and in September of the same year, she performed Violetta in La Traviata, in a staging by Hugo de Ana. Her activity has been rewarded, among other accolades, with the Kult Award for best opera performer and the "Albanian Excellence" distinction.
Armand Likaj, principal baritone soloist of the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet and Folk Ensemble of Albania, is, in turn, among the important voices of the Albanian lyrical stage. With a career spanning over two decades and a repertoire that includes over 75 leading roles, the artist has performed in Albania and on numerous international stages in Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Finland, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
Trained at the University of Arts in Tirana and later perfected in Italy, including at the prestigious Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro, Armand Likaj has been awarded the KULT prize twice for the best lyrical performer of the year – for Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera of the same name and for Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen – and has also received the "Albanian Excellence" distinction.
Aulon Naçi, the third special guest of ALAR from Albania, is a composer, musician, and university professor, currently holding the position of General Director of the National Theatre of Opera, Ballet, and Popular Ensemble of Albania, one of the central institutions of Albanian cultural life. A graduate with the highest distinctions from the "J. Tomadini" Conservatory in Udine, Italy, and later trained at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Aulon Naçi has developed an artistic and managerial career with a pronounced international dimension.
His compositions have been performed in Albania, Kosovo, Italy, Austria, Greece, Canada, China, Belgium, Romania, Germany, and other countries, and the projects he has coordinated have brought him into collaboration with important artists and ensembles, including the Kosovo Philharmonic Choir and soloists from the Teatro alla Scala orchestra. He is a laureate of the "Albanian Excellence Award," and in 2024, he graduated from the Emerging Leaders executive program at Harvard Kennedy School.
Alongside the three guests from Albania, the concert also brings soprano Ionela Mani and tenor Gjergji Mani before the public, two artists with significant professional careers in Romania and abroad, whose activity is particularly linked to the cultural and musical closeness between Romania and Albania.
Ionela Mani, a graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, under the tutelage of the renowned soprano Maria Slătinaru Nistor, has distinguished herself through an activity that combines lyrical repertoire with the promotion of traditional music. She has performed concerts in Romania and abroad and has also appeared on the stage of the "Ion Dacian" National Operetta Theatre, alongside the internationally renowned soprano Inva Mula. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with artists and directors such as Marina Krilovici, Răzvan Mazilu, and Cristian Mihăilescu.
A special milestone in her recent career is the year 2024, when she became the first Romanian soprano invited to an Albanian operetta, Agimi. Through her artistic projects and the repertoire she has tackled, Ionela Mani has also established herself as a constant presence in the space of Romanian-Albanian musical dialogue.
Gjergji Mani, an Albanian-born tenor based in Romania, is currently the principal soloist of the Bucharest Children's Comic Opera. A graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, he has collaborated with important musical institutions, operas, and philharmonics in Romania and abroad, and has performed alongside prestigious artists such as Inva Mula, Marina Krilovici, and Daniel Magdal. In 2013, he won the 2nd Prize at the National Festival of Romances "Golden Chrysanthemum".
Ionela and Gjergji Mani have performed numerous concerts together in Romania, Albania, and other countries, and have built projects dedicated to bringing the two cultures closer. The albums Albanian Traditional Music and Albanian-Romanian reflect this constant concern for highlighting Romanian and Albanian repertoires.
Through this formula, "The Voice of Friendship" becomes more than a gala concert: it is a musical meeting between two cultures close in history, sensibility, and numerous human ties, bringing together on the same stage established artists from Romania and Albania.
The event opens the VIIIth edition of the "Albanian Culture Days" and is part of the constant mission of the Association of Albanians in Romania to promote Albanian culture in the Romanian space and, at the same time, to create authentic contexts for collaboration between artists, institutions, and the public of the two countries. Through music, "The Voice of Friendship" offers the public an artistic experience in which Romanian and Albanian cultural identities preserve their individuality, but meet in a common language.
The extraordinary concert "The Voice of Friendship" will take place on Friday, September 18, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM, at the "Ion Dacian" National Theatre of Operetta and Musical, 1 Octavian Goga Boulevard, Bucharest.
The event is organized by The Association of Albanians in Romania with the financial support granted by the Government of Romania to organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities, through the Department for Interethnic Relations (DRI).
