A Powerful Force For Down Syndrome In Central Florida

The Tremontis gather together in Orlando to celebrate the opening of the SMILE with Stella Down Syndrome Clinic. Photo by Roberto Gonzalez

On stage, Mark Tremonti shredded his guitar with a splash of metal, classic rock and blues influences. But he had a recurring obsession he couldn’t shake. Off stage, the melodic voice of Frank Sinatra kept popping in his head.

He never quite understood the “why”, but it was a powerful force. 

Mark — a founding member of rock groups Creed and Alter Bridge — had learned to sing like Sinatra. Watched his movies. Watched YouTube videos. Read his books. Studied his mannerisms. Sang classics like “Fly Me to the Moon” while sitting in his car during his son’s soccer practice.

The “why” finally clicked on March 9, 2021, when Tremonti would find his purpose and reason.

His daughter, Stella Tremonti, was born.

A father of two boys, Mark and his wife Victoria finally welcomed a baby girl into their lives and Windermere home. The gift of life also came with a bit of unexpected news. Stella was born with Down syndrome. She would need open heart surgery nine months after she was born.

“Certain things happen in life, we don’t know why,” Tremonti said. “There was one moment where a switch went off… and when we got the diagnosis I was like, ‘You know what? That was planted in me for a reason.’”

So much has happened since then, reflecting the wondrous nature of the universe.

With Stella as his inspirational muse, Tremonti recorded an album of 14 Sinatra standards. He took the show on the road, too, including a performance at Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at a founder’s event in September of 2022, and another show later that year that raised $150,000.

Another fateful twist: Meeting Dr. Rajan Wadhawan, senior executive officer of AdventHealth for Children. 

 “We were at a charity event and I met Dr. Raj and we were asking him advice on how to proceed with our daughter’s surgery,” Tremonti said. “And he was taken by our family’s story and he had said he’d always wanted to plan a comprehensive Down syndrome clinic and that our story urged him to see it through.” 

“So he asked us if we would partner with him and focus on developing this clinic.”

“This little thing took him to the finish line,” he said, with his arms wrapped around Stella.

The Tremontis gather together in Orlando to celebrate the opening of the SMILE with Stella Down Syndrome Clinic. Photo by Roberto

That led Mark, Victoria and Stella to the grounds of AdventHealth on October 17, where they celebrated the opening of the SMILE with Stella Tremonti Down Syndrome Clinic. The clinic will be home to the first lifespan Down syndrome program in the Southeastern United States, filling a crucial gap for some of the estimated 200,000 people in the U.S. with Down syndrome, particularly as they age into adults.

“For a child with Down syndrome, early access to quality medical care has the power to change the trajectory of their life.” 

—Dr. Wadhawan 

For the Tremontis, the trajectory points to fulfillment and happiness, both on a personal and professional level.

Tremonti is also a member of the internationally known band Creed. Photo by Chuck-Brueckmann

Tremonti, 49, continues to channel his inner-Sinatra, cultivating that unique skill into a second release, this one capturing the spirit of the season, titled “Mark Tremonti Christmas Classics New & Old.”

It’s not all a Sinatraesque vibe on the album, but the point and purpose remains to funnel more money into local organizations and the National Down Syndrome Society.

He will take to the stage again, this time on the bigger stage at Dr. Phillips, for a Christmas concert on Dec. 16. He will have a number of Sinatra’s old bandmates accompany him on stage, as they have in the past.

Continuing that ‘things happen for a reason’ path, Tremonti’s guitar teacher growing up was Dan McIntyre, who toured with Sinatra. He scheduled a meeting with Mike Smith, who was Sinatra’s band leader towards the end of his career.

“Can your boy sing?” Smith asked Tremonti’s manager, Tim Tournier.

“Of course he can!” Tournier said, never bothering to mention he had never heard Tremonti sing any of Sinatra’s classics.

Cut to Chicago in May of 2021, when Tremonti stepped into the room that changed everything.

“And so imagine stepping into a room of 17 of the baddest, best musicians on the planet who have also shared the stage with Frank Sinatra, and Frank Sinatra didn’t use you unless you were the best of the best, and the first song I sang was ‘Luck Be a Lady’” Tremonti said.

Tremonti’s Christmas album, Mark Tremonti Classics New & Old, was released on October 27, 2023. Photo by Chuck-Brueckmann

Tremonti and the boys have bonded, even if Smith usually complains before a show about how much his back and knees hurt, and then he gets on stage and crushes it.

Some of Tremonti’s younger bandmates have also come back around. Creed— with Scott Stapp back in the fold— is set to perform for the first time in almost a decade, as part of two “The Summer of ’99 Cruise” dates in the spring of 2024.  Both cruises have sold out, reflecting the clout of a band that has a four-album discography with 50 million copies sold.

Stella is doing well now, with the family in a far different place after that initial jolt. “She’s been a gift to our family,” said Victoria Tremonti, whose cousin has Down syndrome, making her more aware of the journey ahead. “My husband was a little more nervous, so it took him about a day and I said, ‘Honey. we’ve got this. It’s going to be OK.’’’

Indeed it has. Tremonti has one emotional hiccup he can’t shake. He never mentions Stella while performing. He becomes too nervous, caught up in the journey.

“She brings every emotion you could possibly imagine when I see her when I’m performing,” he said. “So it’s tough. As you can see, if you look around my studio, there must be 30 pictures of her here.” 

 Tremonti carries Stella in his heart, be it rock or sentimental classics. The “Riff Lord” meets the Chairman of the Board.

A perfect melodic mix of serendipitous wonder.