A versatile performing artist, Janelle DeStefano is making her mark on regional operatic, orchestral and musical theater stages across the United States, performing with Ash Lawn Opera Festival in Virginia, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Westminster Opera Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the Lyric Theatre of Santa Cruz, the Jarvis Zarzuela Festival in Napa California, and San Diego Opera. A member of the San Diego Opera Ensemble from 2002-2005, Ms. DeStefano sang the roles of Cinderella in an English adaptation of Rossini's La Cenerentola, and appeared as both Third Lady and Papagena in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Her portrayal of the gypsy, Maria, in La Alegria de la Huerta at the Zarzuela Festival in Napa, California (now available on DVD through the Jarvis Conservatory) was hailed as the “pick of the Chueca” by Zarzuela.net. In 2004, Ms. DeStefano made her San Diego Opera debut as the Second Handmaiden in SDO's critically acclaimed production of Turandot. During San Diego Opera's 2005 International Season she understudied the roles of Dorabella ( Cosi fan tutte ) and Erika (Vanessa).

Equally comfortable on the concert stage, Ms. DeStefano has rendered dramatic performances of works such as the Bach Magnificat, the Vivaldi Magnificat, Handel's Messiah, the Mozart Requiem, and the Bach Mass in B-minor. She has been a featured soloist with the Inland Valley Symphony, Grossmont Symphony, and La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. A skillful and passionate recitalist, Ms. DeStefano has performed all manner of art song and light classical repertoire, and has a personal interest in the Zarzuela repertoire. Most recently, she was featured in concert with the baroque ensemble El Mundo in an evening of Spainish and Latin American art song, and appeared in the International Festival of Spanish Song held in Granada, Spain, with acclaimed pianist Juan Antonio Álvarez Parejo. In November 2007, Ms. DeStefano will be making her USC Opera debut as Romeo in Belini's I Capuletti e i Montecchi.

Ms. DeStefano received her Master of Music Degree (M.M.) in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University (Princeton, NJ) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa inductee, and graduated with Porter College Honors. Presently, Ms. DeStefano is completing a Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Vocal Performance at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, studying under Elizabeth Hynes. She has also trained under several noted voice teachers including Carol Neblett, Mary MacKenzie, Zehava Gal, Margaret Cusack, and Patrice Maginnis, and has won a number of vocal competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, San Diego District (2001-02 and 2002-03), the National Association of Teachers of Singing, San Diego (2001) and the Musical Merit Foundation (2000).

In addition to her performing career, Ms. DeStefano is an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego and Grossmont College, and a Teaching Assistant at the University of Southern California where she teaches class voice and provides individual instruction. She maintains her own private voice studio in the San Diego area, where she makes her home with her husband, Joey.