Back-story:
George's interest in classical and operatic music began at the age of 18 months,
when he started using the cassette-tape deck to play tapes. He was entirely
self-taught in the use of the player. If a tape was not an opera or symphony
tape, he took it out and threw it over his shoulder. The ones that were,
though, ended up in stacks.
His parents started introducing him to videotapes of operas, including the Who's Afraid of Opera? series (operas acted out with puppets) and, later, recordings of actual stage performances.
Finally, in 1983, George's father
(George Sr.) decided to take him to see the opera in person at the San Francisco
Opera House. It was Verdi's La Traviata. George was age two at the time,
making him the youngest operagoer the opera house ever had.
Below: San Francisco Opera House, circa 1945
By age two and a half, George could identify
practically
any opera or
piece of classical music, as well as the composer.
World-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti had long been George's favorite singer. In 1983, George Sr. asked the opera house's general director if he would forward a letter to Pavarotti, who would be appearing in the upcoming production season. The general director agreed and forwarded it on.