Fernando Varela’s journey from Villages’ performer to international singing star takes a momentous turn at 8 p.m. Monday on PBS-TV.
Varela marks the debut of his national-TV “Coming Home” 90-minute special Monday. It will be broadcast locally on WUCF-TV, Orlando. The concert will be rebroadcast on March 12, at 6:30 p.m.
“I’ve been preparing for this concert my entire life,” Varela told Villages-News.com on the night the concert was filmed at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. “This is my moment.”
The show was filmed during two days on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Nearly 1,000 Villagers packed 13 buses to attend the concert before a sold-out crowd of 2,700. Varela will be visiting about 16 PBS stations across the country during the next few weeks to promote the show. Eventually, a DVD of the concert will be available.
Maestro Bill Doherty, who lives in The Villages, will make an appearance during the concert. Doherty, a major influence and mentor for Varela, comes out to conduct the orchestra during one number. Doherty heads the Central Florida Lyric Opera and also is director of music at St. Timothy Catholic Church.
I’m honored to have here tonight one of the very first people who ever believed in me,” Varela said. “He was my first voice teacher – Maestro Bill Doherty. “Bill saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”
Another highlight comes when Varela sings “Nessun Dorma,” and earns a standing ovation, led by his mother and father — Julio and Margarita Varela – sitting in the first row.
Varela also teams with teenage singing star Jackie Evancho for a couple of numbers. She, like Varela, first gained national acclaim on the “America’s Got Talent” television program.
Also appearing during Monday’s concert are pianist William Joseph; Stephan Moccio, a Grammy Award winning musician, and violinist Caroline Campbell.
The PBS concert also features acrobats, stage pyrotechnics, and nearly a dozen cameras that filmed the show.
It’s another landmark event for Varela, whose album, “Vivere,” will be released on Friday. A single, “Gloria,” has already been released.
Also, Varela performed before President Trump and the First Lady in February, during a charity concert at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach.
