Chasing Dreams on the Opera Stage: A Letter from Alfredo

March 20, 2025

Dear Radamès,

I write to you with my heart still racing from last night’s audition. It felt like stepping onto a battlefield—not one of swords and shields, but of movement, presence, and unspoken words. The room was filled with young hopefuls, all carrying dreams as big as the grand stage itself. A sea of faces, some filled with excitement, others shadowed by nerves. And me? I was both.

The process was swift, like a fast-forwarded reel of a life I never thought I’d step into. Owning my body, making it speak without words, letting it tell a story through movement—it was both thrilling and terrifying. You know me, Radamès, my language has always been pen and paper, not steps and gestures. Yet, something in me whispered, Try. So I did. Because if we stop trying, if we stop dreaming, then what are we? Would we even know the names of Martin Luther King Jr., who dared to dream of a better world? Or Steven Spielberg, who saw stories where others saw empty frames? Or Steve Jobs, who envisioned the future before the rest of us even knew we needed it? But who am I? Just a dreamer with a heart willing to follow wherever it leads.

You’d be proud of me—I didn’t let my injury stop me. My foot ached, but my will danced stronger. Pain is fleeting, but dreams? Dreams endure.

Yet, as I stood there, surrounded by so much talent, I couldn’t help but wonder about the ones who wouldn’t make it today. How rejection must weigh on them, not just as a ‘no,’ but as a question: Am I good enough? When the requirement is based on how a body moves, on how it looks, does it mean that those who aren’t chosen are lesser? Not talented enough? Not capable? These thoughts linger, and I have no answers—only a hope that everyone finds their stage, even if it’s different from the one they imagined.

To those who read this letter: Never stop believing in yourself. Your dreams matter. Keep chasing them, even when the world says no. Because the right ‘yes’ is waiting.

And to myself: Never stop running. At first, the path may seem unclear, like running without a destination. But one day, everything will fall into place—the dark clouds will part, and the horizon will reveal where I am meant to be.

Until then, I run.

Your friend,
Alfredo