Stefano Marchese Image

Image by Francesco Gargiulli

Alum

Stefano Marchese

Associate Professor
Affiliated Departments
Voice

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Stefano Marchese is an award-winning Italian singer-songwriter, educator, and researcher. He holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is a faculty member in the Voice Department at Berklee College of Music. He has collaborated with Grammy winners such as Bobby McFerrin and Luis Enrique, among others. Thanks to his solo album Radici, in 2021, he was nominated by Serafini as one of the 100 most relevant Abruzzesi abroad.

The band leader of Scanzonati, together with bassist and Berklee faculty member Andrea Pejrolo, Marchese has collaborated with prominent Italian artists such as Mogol, Carmen Consoli, and Giovanni Caccamo. A radio and TV host and producer, his show L’Italia chiamò aired on more than 40 television channels across Italy and Europe, featuring guests such as Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani and artists Chiara Civello, Zucchero, Levante, Dardust, and GeGé Telesforo.

Marchese has presented at national and international music education conferences and published scholarly work on participatory music-making, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, and technology in music education. His research focuses particularly on circle singing and the social-emotional benefits of participatory music-making.

He is the president and founder of MEMECO (Mediterranean Music Education Committee), an international organization dedicated to fostering dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in music education across the Mediterranean region and beyond.

As an artistic director, he curates several music series and festivals in New England, including Jazz in the Park, Sounds of Italy, and Piazza All’Aperto, among others. In 2026, he was recognized as a quarterfinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum.

Career Highlights
  • Singer-songwriter and co-leader with Andrea Pejrolo of Scanzonati
  • Performances and collaborations with Bobby McFerrin, Mogol, Luis Enrique, Carmen Consoli, and Joey Blake, among others
  • Host and producer of the TV/radio show L'Italia chiamò
  • Recordings as a solo artist include Radici
  • Recordings as a member or a featured artist include Sung Deep: Voices from the Village by the Singing Tribe, and Unbound Again and Synergy by Unbound Voices
  • TV show appearances include WCVB, WHDH, Mediaset, RAI, and RAI International
  • Artistic director of series and festivals including Jazz in the Park, Sounds of Italy, and Piazza All'Aperto
  • Studies with Bob Stoloff, Norma Winston, Donna Mc Elroy, David Thorne Scott, and Joey Blake, among many others
Awards
  • Recipient of the Music Education Award, Berklee
  • Recipient of the Voice Department Award, Berklee
  • Recipient of the Umbria Jazz Scholarship
Education
  • University of Massachusetts
    Massachusetts
    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    Music Education
  • Berklee College of Music
    Massachusetts
    Master of Music (MM)
    Music Education
  • Berklee College of Music
    Massachusetts
    Bachelor of Music (BM)
    Contemporary Writing & Production
  • Università Degli Studi RomaTre
    Bachelor of Arts (BA)
    Performance
In Their Own Words

"Singing is the sound of our soul, and as Hans C. Andersen wrote, 'Where words fail, music speaks.' Singing is the most ancient form of magic that we were gifted. My goal as an instructor is to help my students grow the skills they need to express themselves in the most powerful, direct, and truthful way. The artist is in constant development, and being part of my students' artistic growth has been and will always be a privilege and a responsibility. For this reason, I think that establishing a strong and honest relationship is as important as supporting my students' professional and artistic growth with solid technical, expressive, and performative instructions."

Through the voice, the singer can tell many stories. Being able to deeply know our own identity is the secret to finding all the emotions stored in our soul. Moreover, in a community so culturally diverse and rich like Berklee's, students are exposed to the cultures of the world and can hear how music plays a fundamental role in expressing themselves as well as cross-pollinate each other to create something new."

"I was fortunate to be immersed in this diverse, inclusive world that music has the power to create. Through my experience as a performer, singer-songwriter, producer, and educator, I discovered that performing arts are like languages with infinite vocabularies that allow the many facets of this beautiful diamond that is our identity, to sparkle."