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Hometown tenor
Marco Stefani appearing at Firehouse theater tomorrow

by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

When tenor Marco Stefani steps onstage at the Firehouse Arts Center tomorrow, it will be a coming home for him: He lived in Pleasanton for many years and graduated from Amador Valley High in 2005.

"Marco's talent was brought to our attention by one of our volunteers who had seen him perform at University of the Pacific," said Firehouse Theater Supervisor Rob Vogt. "We reviewed a DVD of his recital and realized that he had great talent that should be shared with his home community."

Stefani completed his undergraduate studies at the University of the Pacific and is a three-time alumnus of the Music Academy of the West. He received a master of music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and made his professional debut in Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" with the Stockton Opera.

Tomorrow night Stefani will present a recital of songs and arias featuring Liszt's "Tre Sonetti di Petrarca," collaborating with pianist Sunny Yoon.

He recently sang in a classic master class series at Carnegie Hall. This summer, he will perform at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist.

Stefani's skills include stage combat, conversational Italian, French, German and Spanish, guitar and Greek folk dance.

"We're very excited to bring him to the Firehouse stage," Vogt said.

Tomorrow's performance begins at 8 p.m. Ticket range from $18-$22. Go to www.firehousearts.org or call 931-4848. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Ave. in downtown Pleasanton.