(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Direct from Rome: The Three Italian Tenors on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7:00pm. The tenors—Gianni Leccese, Ugo Tarquini, and Alessandro Fantoni—will be making their North American tour debut accompanied by pianist Fabrizio Mocata and special guest Gaetano Amore.
This musical event features original arrangements and Italian songs and tenor arias, including "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto, "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's Turandot, "La Spagnola," "Lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca, and "Dicitencello vuje."
Tickets start at $34 and are available for purchase online or by calling State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469) or visit online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
Gianni Leccese is a talented Italian tenor educated under the supervision of distinguished artists William Matteuzzi and Leone Magiera—a legendary pianist and conductor and a close collaborator of Luciano Pavarotti.
Leccese made his debut in Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci and has performed in operas and festivals in cities such as Pisa, Grosseto, Massa Marittima, Pescara, and Viterbo. Leccese has appeared in concerts and operas on four continents, performing in China, Japan, Egypt, Indonesia, Great Britain, Greece, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus.
Leccese has collaborated with the biggest stars of the Italian opera scene, such as Katia Ricciarelli, Gianfranco Cecchele, Leo Nucci, Carlo Colombara, Pietro Ballo, and performed on major stages throughout Europe and around the world. Leccese's repertoire includes the main parts in works such as: La Traviata, Rigoletto, Tosca, La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi, and Cavalleria Rusticana.
In 2011, Leccese received the "Erbe" award from the Arena Foundation in Verona as a "Tenor of the New Generation." In 2019, he also starred as Tony in Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story in Bulgaria and Romania. Since 2018, he has served as Artistic Director of the OltreLirica Music Festival, held at the Cave di Fantiano amphitheater in the Apulia region of Southern Italy.
Ugo Tarquini began studying piano and choral activities at the age of eight. He later majored in lyrical singing at the Conservatory Licinio Refice of Frosinone. He continued his postgraduate studies under the guidance of some of the most important figures of the Italian technical and interpretive operatic tradition, including Nicola Martinucci, Alfredo Zanazzo, and Lucetta Bizzi.
Tarquini has collaborated with leading opera institutions and foundations, including the Puccini Festival Foundation, As.Li.Co, Teatro Regio of Parma, Teatro Regio in Turin, Muscat Opera House, Arena di Verona, Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and Seoul Arts Center. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Oren, Sir Jan Latham-Koenig, Stefano Montanari, Matteo Beltrami, Carlo Goldstein, Andrea Battistoni, Valerio Galli, and Bruno Nicoli, as well as prestigious directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Mario Martone, Ettore Scola, Vivien Hewitt, and Ivan Stefanutti.
In 2013, Tarquini was selected to be part of the artistic cast of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, an idea which was originally envisioned by the famous Tenor and later materialized by Dr. Nicoletta Mantovani to promote the artistic career of the most talented emerging singers on the international scene. On behalf of this foundation, he has performed in several events, including the opening night of the 2013 season for Arena di Verona; two prestigious concerts at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow; and the Ruben Dario Theater in Managua, Nicaragua, celebrating the great Maestro Pavarotti.
Tarquini has debuted in leading roles as Rodolfo in La Bohème for the Puccini Festival during the 155th anniversary of Puccini's passing and later at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo. In 2014, he debuted the roles of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Don Carlo in Verdi's homonymous opera. In 2015, he performed as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Muscat Opera House. In 2016, he performed as Don Basilio-Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro at Teatro Regio of Parma and Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia, Goffredo in Rinaldo at Seoul Arts Center, Pang in Puccini's Turandot, and Calaf in Busoni's Turandot at the Puccini Festival Foundation.
Alessandro Fantoni was born in Genoa. He studied in the Opernhaus Academy of Zürich, Switzerland, and perfected his studies with Roberto Sèrvile. Fantoni made his debut alongside Sèrvile as Gabriele Adorno (Simon Boccanegra) and Ismaele (Nabucco) in Piacenza. Fantoni has performed with the Dänische Nationaloper in Aarhus; Roberto in Maria Stuarda; Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore; Duca in Rigoletto; Alfredo in La Traviata; Manrico in Il Trovatore; and Rodolfo in La Bohème.
Other roles have included Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Arlecchino in Pagliacci in Pavia, Arvino in I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata with Teatro Comunale di Piacenza, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Alfredo in La Traviata with Festival di Casamari.
State Theatre New Jersey, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, celebrated its 100th Anniversary after major renovations in December 2021. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre's historic significance was honored when PBS featured it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey. Having played a significant role in revitalizing New Brunswick—crowned "Jersey's Best Destination of the Year" for 2025 by Jersey's Best magazine—State Theatre resides in the heart of the city's arts district.
Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six and a half million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have included high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Peter Frampton, and Leanne Morgan. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey's programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. For information on events, go to MiddlesexCountyCulture.com.
