08/03/2025
PBS didn’t just show me opera.
It gave me opera.
From Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street to Aida, Andrea Bocelli, and the Tucker Gala on New Year’s Eve, it shaped my voice, my purpose, and my life.
This is my story. I’m sharing it now because PBS is in danger — and someone out there right now still needs it the way I did. (See below hashtags 😉).
Let’s fight for it. Let’s make some noise. Let’s do it for them.
What Would’ve Happened to Me Without PBS?
By Patrick Joseph Marques
I’ve been watching the news and seeing everyone’s posts, and with everything going on personally, I needed to quiet my mind and truly reflect on what PBS has meant to me — and what it’s given me.
From early childhood, PBS was one of my greatest teachers. Mr. Rogers was my favorite. It was through his gentle voice and calm presence that I first discovered that people who spoke softly could still be heard. He also introduced me to classical music — a love that would go on to shape the very course of my life.
Sesame Street gave me the joy of singing. As a child, I would sing along with the characters. Those early PBS programs were formative influences — and they remained a theme throughout my life.
As a teenager, PBS introduced me to opera. It provided a safe place for me in a home where it wasn’t. I heard my first Aida through a PBS broadcast. That was my introduction to the gorgeous voice of soprano Aprile Millo. PBS became the benchmark of all great singing for me. It’s where I first fell in love with the sound of Luciano Pavarotti — the voice that inspired me to become an opera singer. Through PBS, I watched his concerts for free and began to dream.
Even when I went to conservatory, where music was a steady diet all day every day, PBS still remained a cornerstone. It’s where I watched Met Opera broadcasts, the Richard Tucker Galas, and countless performances on New Year’s Eve while others waited for the ball to drop. It’s where I first heard Renée Fleming sing Ain’t It a Pretty Night, and where I was introduced to the legendary Kiri Te Kanawa.
It was through PBS that I first learned about John Copley, who later became a friend and gave me tons of guidance and confidence during my first Apprentice Artist Program at Santa Fe Opera and whenever I needed him. I still remember quoting his own interview back to him. He liked that, and went on to tell me the full story and many more.
I received attention quickly in an industry I would’ve had no prior access to, and PBS was the lifeline that made that possible. Without PBS, I wouldn’t have had the background, vocabulary, the knowledge, or the cultural reference points to step into the world of opera. Without PBS, I might’ve been dismissed as someone “uncultured.”
It was through PBS that I first saw Jerry Hadley, who became my mentor. I first saw Denyce Graves perform Carmen and heard her sing Va! Laisse couler mes larmes — a piece I later performed with her and Andrea Bocelli in Werther. I knew who Bocelli was, and knew his story, long before I met him. Because of PBS. I knew the conductors I was now singing with because of PBS.
I discovered my favorite opera, Peter Grimes, when PBS aired a documentary on its Tanglewood production with Seiji Ozawa and Anthony Dean Griffey. Tony’s thoughtful singing shaped my approach to caring for a sizable instrument from a young age. I don’t know if I’ve ever told him that, but thank you.
Singing is like breathing and eating to me. It just is. But I was a kid growing up in a place where I didn’t quite fit in. PBS threw me a life preserver. It gave me something to love, something to work toward, and something I could be. It gave me permission to dream.
PBS was never just TV. It was my teacher, my mentor, and my introduction to a life I would otherwise never have found. We have to fight for it. We have to make some noise!!! We have to save it — for the next generation of dreamers waiting for someone to tell them it’s okay to be who they are. Let’s do it for them.
06/30/2025