Tenor Michael Fabiano on taking risks and keeping opera relevant

Michael Fabiano is a 32-year-old tenor who lives in New York. In 2015, he was asked to replace the lead in a show at the Metropolitan Opera. The ask came in just seven hours before the show was set to start. Fabiano, having never seen the recent staging of the play, welcomed the challenge.

Referred to as the "risk-taking tenor," Fabiano doesn't shy away from pushing himself to new extremes: "Risks, when executed with decision making and clear thought, often can yield a good result."

Today, there is a perceived disconnect between young people and the opera. "If we create zones throughout opera houses that allow [youth] to be connected on their devices, to interact on Facebook and Twitter, and to still be able to participate in the performance," Fabiano says that younger audiences will become engaged.

Michael Fabiano is currently performing Verdi's La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

—  Produced by Elaine Chau