I don’t know a damn thing about opera and only slightly more about classical music as a whole, but I know who Pavarotti is. I would be that even people in their teens have heard his name, even if they weren’t quite sure exactly why he was famous. He had achieved the pinnacle of his profession and managed not only to maintain it, but to bring his talents as a tenor to people well outside of the culture of opera.
In one of the many articles about his life and death, I noticed a reference to his earliest days of singing and how he had found a love for singing through his father, who was a skilled singer but was bound to his job as a baker. I have to wonder about the conversations and the encouragement (or possibly discouragement) Pavarotti might have received from his father about pursuing a dream that they both shared. Rather than simply lament the fact that a singing career would be difficult to achieve, Pavarotti began taking singing lessons and began taking the steps necessary to pursue his dream. He certainly knew he had talent, but he also realized that he needed to sharpen his skills in order to achieve success. Pavarotti did not begin formal singing training until he was 19 years old and held down odd jobs to support himself during that period.

He taught elementary school and sold insurance at different periods to make ends meet. You have to imagine that there were many times during his apprenticeship and formal singing education that he thought about abandoning his dream for a more stable lifestyle and financial security. Instead he persevered, and when opportunities eventually arrived, he seized them and never looked back.

He’s gone now, but he will never be forgotten.

Tags: career planning, dream jobs, professional education, professional perseverance

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