Stefano is the Italian form of the surname and masculine given name Stephen. It is a common tendency amongst English-speakers to mispronounce the name Stefano by placing the stress on the penultimate syllable, whereas the correct Italian pronunciation places the stress on the first one ([ˈsteːfano] or [ˈstεːfano]).

People with the given name Stefano[link]

• Stefano (wrestler), ring name of Daniel Garcia Soto, professional wrestler
• Stefano Gualeni, Italian game-designer
• Stefano Mei, Italian long-distance runner
• Stefano Pilati, Italian fashion designer
• Stefano Rosselli del Turco, Italian chess player
• Stefano Lusignan, writer and Catholic priest
• Stefano Langone, singer, American Idol contestant
• Stefano Drehnaldo, german football star

Fictional characters[link]

• Stefano DiMera, the main villain on Days of our Lives

People with the surname Stefano[link]

• Alfredo Di Stéfano
• Frank De Stefano
• Giovanni di Stefano (disambiguation)
• Giuseppe Di Stefano
• Joey Stefano, stage name of American pornographic actor, Nicholas Iacona Jr.
• Joseph Stefano
• Tony DiStefano

See also[link]

• San Stefano
• Santo Stefano (disambiguation)
• Stephan (given name)
• Stephano (disambiguation)
• Stephen

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

This page or section lists people with the surname Stefano. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

New Boyz
Legacy (left) and Ben J (right)
Background information
Origin	Hesperia, California, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rap, jerkin
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Shotty, Asylum, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Chris Brown, Tyga, Ray J, Iyaz, Big Sean, The Cataracs, Dev, Yellow Bone Cherry , Young Cam
Website	www.thenewboyz.com
Members
Legacy Ben J

New Boyz is an American hip hop/rap group and a former jerkin crew duo^[1] consisting of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin (born October 13, 1991) and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas (born October 12, 1991)^[2] from Hesperia, California. They debuted in summer 2009 with their viral hit, "You're a Jerk", taken from their debut studio album Skinny Jeanz and a Mic, released in September 2009. The song peaked in the top thirty of the Billboard Hot 100, and it was the first song to bring the jerkin' style to the national forefront. A second single, "Tie Me Down" featuring Ray J, was also successful and peaked in the top thirty. In May 2011, their second studio album, Too Cool to Care, was released. It includes the top 40 hits "Backseat", featuring The Cataracs and Dev, and "Better with the Lights Off" featuring Chris Brown. The New Boyz have also been featured on Hot Chelle Rae's song "I Like It Like That", which peaked at #28 on the Hot 100.

Biography[link]

The two were originally rivals, but became friends over a common interest in music.^[3] Dominic began rapping at the age of eight after watching a music video by Bow Wow, but Benjamin did not have plans to pursue a musical career, instead, he intended to play football at San Diego State University.^[4] However, Benjamin decided to focus more on music after he discovered that Dominic was achieving success in rapping. With their October birthdays only a day apart, they pooled their gift money to buy recording equipment. Dominic then taught himself how to make beats for the group's songs with a computer program called Fruity Loops, saying "I had to teach myself. We didn’t want to pay for beats."^[5] After Thomas transferred to a new school, they decided to form a group. With Benjamin being "Ben J" and Thomas being "Legacy", they began performing together as the Swagger Boyz on July 4, 2008.^[4] and created a MySpace page to promote their self-published single "Colorz".^[3] In 2009, New Boyz performed at a basketball game for Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, CA.

Discography[link]

Mixtapes[link]

• Foolie Tape (2012)^[6]

1.FM$ ( Prod By Legacy ) #FXS 2.Rain Dance ft Cory Gunz ( Prod By C P Dubb ) #FXS 3.Bars ( Prod By Legacy ) #FXS 4.Kim #FXS 5.Starters ( Prod By C P Dubb ) #FXS 6.Closure ft Tinashe ( Prod By J.LBS ) #FXS 7.Same Shit , Different City ft Dizzy Wright ( Prod By The Futuristiks ) #FXS 8.Movin ( Prod By Prophit ) #FXS 9.Soul Out ( Prod By Prophit ) #FXS 10.Smoking Habit ( Prod By DJ Burn One ) #FXS

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Promotional singles[link]

As featured artist[link]

"Fat Pussy" (Ty$ & Joe Moses featuring The Rej3ctz & The New Boyz)

Music videos[link]

• You're a Jerk
• Dot Com
• Tie Me Down featuring Ray J
• So Dope
• Cricketz featuring Tyga
• Break My Bank featuring Iyaz
• Crush On You featuring YG
• Backseat featuring The Cataracs and Dev
• Tough Kids featuring Sabi
• Better With the Lights Off featuring Chris Brown
• Found My Swag featuring The Bangz
• Dancing Around the Truth (the Stunners)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• New Boyz channel at Youtube

Stefano Langone
Background information
Also known as	Stefano
Born	(1989-02-27) February 27, 1989 (age 23) Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Origin	Kent, Washington, U.S.
Genres	R&B, soul, pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19, Hollywood Records
Website	www.stefanomusic.com

Stefano Langone (born February 27, 1989) is an American singer from Kent, Washington. Langone placed seventh on the tenth season of American Idol.

Early life[link]

Langone was born on February 27, 1989 in Bellevue, Washington to Carrie and Ernie Langone.^[1] He is half Spanish and half Italian.^[2] His father works as a career advisor at The Art Institute of Seattle and is also a singer and musician.^[1][3] Langone has been singing and playing the piano since childhood. He attended Emerald Park Elementary School, Meridian Junior High, and Kentwood High School, as well as Bellevue College, where he was given a full ride scholarship.^[4] He performed with Bellevue College's 'Celebration!' vocal jazz ensemble while he was a student there.^[5]

On May 28, 2009, he was involved in a near-fatal accident after being hit by a drunk driver.^[6] The accident resulted in two broken arms, a fractured pelvis, and other serious injuries. In addition, Langone had to re-learn to walk and has extensive scarring as a result of the accident.^[7]

It has also been reported that Langone was once arrested on suspicion of DUI a year after the accident.^[8] He was later only charged with a lesser crime of first-degree negligent driving for which he pleaded guilty.^[9]

American Idol[link]

Langone auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. He advanced to the Top 13 through a wild card selection by Jennifer Lopez. Langone was eliminated from the show on April 21, 2011, finishing in 7th place.

Performances/Results[link]

• ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Casey Abrams received the lowest amount of votes and was saved by the judges.
• ^Note 2 Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week.
• ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Pia Toscano was eliminated.
• ^Note 4 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Paul McDonald was eliminated.

[edit] Post-Idol

Following his elimination, Langone appeared on several talk shows. He appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly on April 25, 2011, as well as The Today Show on April 26, 2011. In addition, Langone appeared on The Rachael Ray Show along with Paul McDonald and Pia Toscano on May 25, 2011.

The following summer, Langone toured with the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011 and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 21, 2011.

On September 24, 2011, Langone sang the National Anthem at the Western Hockey League game opener between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks. On September 26, 2011, Langone and James Durbin appeared on Dr. Drew's "Lifechangers" TV Talk show.

Langone is currently being co-managed by 19 Entertainment and Red Light Management.^[10] In January 2012, Langone announced that he has signed a record contract with Hollywood Records.^[11]

While recording his upcoming debut album, Langone has performed at several events. On October 15, 2011, Langone performed at Eva Longoria’s Charity Padres El Cáncer in Las Vegas.^[12] On November 24, 2011, Langone performed at the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Furthermore, Langone took part in the Hollywood Christmas Parade on November 27, 2011. On December 4, 2011, Langone performed at Trevor Live, an event benefiting The Trevor Project. Moreover, Langone performed the National Anthem at a San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers December 2011 game. On February 8, 2012, Langone performed in a Motown music tribute at Carnegie Hall.

On April 26, 2012, Langone returned to American Idol to perform his debut single, "I'm on a Roll".^[13] "I'm on a Roll" was released on iTunes on April 24. The track sold around 20,000 in its first week.^[14]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Stefano Langone on American Idol

Giuseppe Di Stefano (24 July 1921 – 3 March 2008) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli. He was also known for his long-term performance and recording association and brief romantic episode with the soprano Maria Callas.

Biography[link]

Giuseppe di Stefano was born in Motta Sant'Anastasia, a village near Catania, Sicily. He was the only son of a carabiniere turned cobbler and his dressmaker wife. Di Stefano was educated at a Jesuit seminary and briefly contemplated entering the priesthood.

After serving in the Italian military (and briefly taking lessons from the Swiss tenor Hugues Cuénod), di Stefano made his operatic debut in 1946 in Reggio Emilia as Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon, the role in which he made his La Scala debut the following year. The great beauty of his lyric tenor voice quickly won him international attention and he was duly engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He made his New York debut in 1948 as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. He went on to perform regularly in New York for many years. In 1957, di Stefano made his British debut at the Edinburgh Festival as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore and his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, debut in 1961, as Cavaradossi in Tosca.

As a singer, di Stefano was admired for his excellent diction, unique timbre, passionate delivery and, in particular, for the sweetness of his soft singing. In his Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast debut in Faust, he attacked the high C forte and then softened to a pianissimo. Sir Rudolf Bing said in his memoirs that this was the most beautiful sound he had heard come out of a human throat during his many years as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera.

During his years of international celebrity, di Stefano won a gold Orfeo, an Italian musical award similar to America's Oscar.^[1]

In 1953 Walter Legge, leader of EMI's classical wing, wanted a tenor to record all the popular Italian operas with Maria Callas and chose Giuseppe di Stefano. Among their recording achievements was the famous 1953 studio recording of Tosca under de Sabata, considered by many as the finest opera recording ever made. The two also performed together on stage frequently, from 1951 in South America to the end of 1957 in Un Ballo in Maschera at La Scala, the last time the two collaborated in an opera. He sang Alfredo to Callas in the famous Visconti production of "La Traviata" in 1955 at La Scala, as well as Edgardo to her Lucia under Herbert von Karajan at La Scala, Berlin and Vienna.

In 1973, Giuseppe Di Stefano accompanied Maria Callas on her final recital tour that ended in 1974: critics remarked that both were losing their voices, but the public reaction was enthusiastic everywhere. It was during this period the two had a brief romantic relationship. Di Stefano's final operatic role was as the aged Emperor in Turandot, in July 1992.

In a documentary aired on PBS entitled Pavarotti and the Italian Tenor, a critic remarked that "di Stefano's [singing] technique was not good", due to the fact that he apparently misused the passagio of his voice. Luciano Pavarotti said he modeled himself after di Stefano, a fact that gained much attention after Pavarotti's death in September 2007. He was also the tenor who most inspired José Carreras.^[2] However, on the 1992 PBS television program "Pavarotti and the Italian Tenor",^[3] Leone Magiera explained that di Stefano's technique was fundamentally flawed because, contrary to traditional vocal methods, he sang too openly in and above the passaggio. Incidentally di Stefano, for all his vocal merits, could not read musical notation fluently. Nonetheless, di Stefano still managed to enjoy a significant operatic career, despite facing stiff competition during the 1950s and '60s from such outstanding fellow tenors as Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Carlo Bergonzi, Nicolai Gedda, Jon Vickers, Richard Tucker and, prior to 1960, the short-lived Jussi Björling.

Recordings with Maria Callas[link]

Di Stefano sang the tenor leads in several of the most famous recordings of Maria Callas, all of which were for EMI. Together they recorded the following complete operas:

• Lucia di Lammermoor – 1953
• I Puritani – 1953
• Cavalleria Rusticana – 1953
• Tosca – 1953
• I Pagliacci – 1954
• Rigoletto – 1955
• La Traviata – 1955
• Il Trovatore – 1956
• La Bohème – 1956
• Un Ballo in Maschera – 1956
• Manon Lescaut – 1957

A series of duets with Giuseppe di Stefano and Maria Callas was recorded by the Philips label in the period November–December 1973 with Antonio de Almeida conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. These recordings unfortunately were not published officially but a 'pirate' version did appear.

Other recordings[link]

Besides his recordings with Callas, he also made complete EMI sets of Madama Butterfly (opposite Victoria de los Ángeles, 1954) and La Traviata (with Antonietta Stella and Tito Gobbi, 1955).

For English Decca he recorded L'Elisir d'Amore with Hilde Güden and Fernando Corena (1955), La Gioconda (with Zinka Milanov and Leonard Warren, 1957), La Forza del Destino (1958) and a second Tosca (with Leontyne Price and Giuseppe Taddei, Herbert von Karajan conducting, 1962).

For Ricordi (Ricordi MRO 104/105), he made a complete stereo Lucia di Lammermoor with Renata Scotto, Ettore Bastianini and Ivo Vinco in 1958, with Nino Sanzogno conducting the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan.

In 1995, VAI issued an approved version of La Bohème, from a 1959 performance in New Orleans, with the tenor starring opposite Licia Albanese, Audrey Schuh, Giuseppe Valdengo and Norman Treigle. Additionally, in 1962 the tenor recorded excerpts from Massenet's Manon, with Anna Moffo, conducted by René Leibowitz.

In 1951, di Stefano sang in a performance of Verdi's Requiem, at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, the other soloists being Herva Nelli, Fedora Barbieri and Cesare Siepi. It was released by RCA.

Diani Beach incident and subsequent death[link]

In November 2004, Giuseppe Di Stefano was critically injured in his home in Diani Beach, Kenya, after a brutal beating by unknown assailants.^[1][4] Di Stefano was ambushed in his car with his wife, Monika Curth, as they prepared to drive from their villa in Diani, a coastal resort near Mombasa on the Indian Ocean. The singer was still unconscious a week after the attack and was fed intravenously, and underwent several operations.

In December 2007, Di Stefano was flown to the San Raffaele clinic at Milan, where he slipped into a coma.^[5] He died in his home in Santa Maria Hoè near Milan on 3 March 2008, aged 86.^[4]

References[link]

• The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Giuseppe Di Stefano at Find a Grave
• Alan Blyth Obituary: Opera singer Giuseppe di Stefano, 1921–2008 The Guardian 3 March 2008
• History of the Tenor – Sound Clips and Narration