Pene Pati is having a breakout season, making important debuts at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera.

The tenor has been hailed for his “extraordinary gift for producing a golden thread of sound” and his “round and sunshine-filled voice.” He has won numerous awards around the world including the Opus Klassik Newcomer of the Year Award, Best Male Singer at the Opera Critics’ Awards, and Opera Magazine Readers’ Award at the International Opera Awards. He has also signed an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics.

To this date he has performed at the Opéra national de Paris, San Francisco Opera, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Canadian Opera Company, and Wiener Staatsoper, among many others.

Pati spoke with OperaWire about his recent debuts in Chicago and New York and performing Verdi and Puccini.

OperaWire: What is the experience of making your debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago like? What did you feel?

Pene Pati: I was excited—who wouldn’t be? Singing an iconic role at such a prestigious US house, one that so many greats have performed in… There are no words to fully describe that feeling. It was truly special.

OW: Your debut was in the iconic opera “La Bohème.” Does that give it more pressure, given how popular and well-known this piece is?

PP: At first, I thought, absolutely, yes! But the more I’ve sung it, the more I’ve realized that audiences just want to see you enjoy yourself on stage. They already know the story inside out—they just want to believe you and feel something. So now, I’d say no, it doesn’t come with that same pressure anymore.

The real pressure for me now is knowing that for some people—actually, many people—this will be their first-ever opera. And that’s where the weight comes in—making sure they walk away thinking, ‘This is something worth having in my life.’

OW: What does the role of Rodolfo mean to you?

PP: A lot! “La Bohème” was the first opera I ever saw—like it is for so many people. Rodolfo means a lot to me because he truly embodies what it’s like to be an artist—the aspirations, the dreams, the struggles, and the sacrifices. It all feels very real.

OW: What are some of the challenges of singing this role? How do you view Rodolfo in this production?

PP: I’ve pretty much always played Rodolfo the same way—except for one production—because, in a lot of ways, I am him. Funnily enough, it’s not so much his romanticism that I connect with, but his vulnerability. One of the biggest challenges with this role is balancing that joy and carefree energy while still carrying this deep uncertainty underneath. There’s a lot of fear and denial in him, and that’s not always easy to bring across onstage.

Another challenge I actually enjoy is making Rodolfo feel real—how do I sing him without it looking staged? It has to feel natural, and sometimes I’ll choose that over what’s most comfortable vocally. I know that’s not always the ‘right’ choice, but that’s just how I approach things as an artist.

OW: Your repertoire is immense with Mendelssohn, Mozart, Gounod, and Massenet, all forming part of it. Where does Puccini’s music fit and how is it different from the other works you perform?

PP: Puccini is definitely on the heavier side for me, to be honest. I only sing two of his roles—Pinkerton and Rodolfo. I’d say Puccini sits on the more outwardly passionate end of my repertoire, whereas most of my other roles, especially the French ones, lean toward a more introspective, inner-emotive style. That said, the Puccini roles I do sing don’t feel too far removed from what I already perform.

OW: It seems like you are in a debut season, having also made your Met debut. How do you pace yourself when making so many debuts?

PP: There are a lot of house debuts this season… Royal Ballet and Opera, Salzburg Festival (Easter and Summer), the Met, Lyric Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper… But I try not to think of them as debuts. I see them as another chance for a new audience to hear me. Thinking of it as a debut comes with a lot of pressure—critics in the house, audience expectations, all of that. But when I see it as just another performance, it reminds me that, no matter the outcome, I showed up, I sang, and I did my best that night.

OW: With the Met, you sang the Duke, another iconic role. What is one memory from that debut and did it help to sing with such veteran Met performers?

PP: That experience was incredible, and singing alongside such seasoned Met veterans was definitely inspiring—but my best memory had nothing to do with that. What will always stay with me is looking up and seeing my wife and other people that are really special to me in the audience. Being able to share that debut with them—some of whom had never seen me sing before!—was truly special. In that moment, the singing felt secondary—the reason for it all became everything.

OW: Looking ahead, you’ll be in Verona and San Francisco as well as at the Park Avenue Armory, among many others. Is there one performance you can’t wait for and why?

PP: San Francisco is always special to me—it’s like my alma mater in a way. Singing there feels like coming home, and there’s never that same pressure because I know they’re just happy to see one of their own on stage. But of course, I’m also really looking forward to Verona. Singing in the famed arena there is going to be an incredible experience!