Romanian tenor George Vîrban has won K-Gagok Superstar 2026, an international vocal competition dedicated to Korean art song.

The competition is organized by Korean broadcaster KBS and has singers from around the world perform Korean art songs in a music show format. Soprano Sumi Jo chaired the jury that awarded Vîrban the top prize.

In the 2026-27 season, Vîrban will make two role debuts, including Roméo in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” at the Romanian National Opera in Cluj Napoca, and Pinkerton in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” at the Municipal Theatre of Santiago in Chile. He will also sing Tamino in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, conducted by Dan Ettinger.

In addition to Jo, judges included Ko Sung-Hyun, Yiruma, Kai, Adrien Perruchon, and Seo Sun-Young. The broadcast of the final round, which was recorded on August 25, 2026, was hosted by Choi Soo-Jong and Lee Yoon-Jung.

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