Rising Argentinian opera star Marcelo Puente is set to make his Sydney Opera House debut this Saturday.
In an interview with SBS News, the tenor said playing Don José in Carmen at the iconic venue was among his career highlights.
"The first day I arrived here and I saw the Opera House ... It was like a vision. A wonderful vision."
The 39-year-old has received international buzz since performing at London's Royal Opera House last year.
Marcelo Puente discovered opera while at medical school. Source: SBS
"[That] was a big moment for me. I'm really proud of that because I always dreamed of singing in that theatre."
Puente has followed an unlikely road from Argentina to the Sydney Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre.
At 19, Puente had just started medical school when he put on a CD of Luciano Pavarotti to take his mind off study.
"I didn't know him, really. I knew the name but never listened to him [before]."
"I discovered I could imitate [him] ... And in that moment I said OK, this is new, and I began to investigate and, well, I'm here after so many years," he said.
"It's like everything, if you do it with passion, with sacrifice, with discipline, at the end you can get it."
