With his many appearances not only on the greatest international opera and concert stages, but also on television, in movies and in arena concerts, Luciano Pavarotti's impact on the world of music has been enormous, broadening the horizons of classical music and bringing untold numbers of new fans to his art. His thrilling tenor voice and unique personality have reached and touched countless audiences throughout the world, and he has become the personification of opera on television and recordings in our time. His recordings, each and every one, are best sellers, his frequent television appearances on "Live from Lincoln Center" and "Live from the Met" as well as on documentaries and talk shows, all have added to his musical renown, and combined with his other interests including painting, tennis and horsemanship, among others, have made his name a household word.

Since his first formal recital on February 1, 1973, in Liberty, Missouri, and at every appearance since, he has created, what one critic called "Pavarotti Pandemonium" with his direct and appealing nature, his amazing voice and his larger-than-life persona. His tours have him all over the European and American continents, to the Far East, Australia, the Middle East, and South Africa. In recent years, his appearances have drawn sold-out audiences in arena concerts including New York's Madison Square Garden, London's Wembley Stadium, the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the Hollywood Bowl, the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, and the Roman Amphitheater in Orange, France. He has made several appearances with the Metropolitan Opera in their concerts in New York's Central Park, always drawing huge crowds to these outdoor events. In July of 1991, Mr. Pavarotti sang an open air concert in London's Hyde Park in the presence of Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and a crowd of some 150,000 that was televised live throughout Europe and in the United States. This was the first concert in the park's history featuring a classical singer and drew a record attendance to London's great park. In June of 1993, Mr. Pavarotti presented a concert in New York's Central Park where a crowd of 500,000 gathered on the Great Lawn, and millions more watched the televised program on the PBS network and in Europe. Mr. Pavarotti has appeared in special "Three Tenors" concerts with his colleagues, José Carreras and Placido Domingo, and conductor, Zubin Mehta, first at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome in 1990, and later at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1994, both concerts performed on the eve of the World Cup finals. In the summer of 1996, the Three Tenors appeared with conductor James Levine on tour in the USA, Japan and Europe to immense acclaim, and in 1998 they made their debut in France with an open-air concert before the Eiffel Tower.

Born in Modena, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti first sang in that city's chorus with his father who was a member of the local opera house's chorus and a fervent lover of opera and the tenor voice. On a journey to Wales, the chorus won first prize in an international choral competition, and this experience fired his musical ambitions. He had trained to become a teacher, but then decided to pursue a musical career, to his father's great joy. He first studied with Arrigo Pola and then with Campogalliani, often traveling to his studio with his fellow student and friend Mirella Freni. In 1961, he won the "Concorso Internazionale". The prize offered was a carefully prepared performance of an opera under the highest standards, and he made his operatic debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in Reggio Emilia on April 29th of that year. He made an immediate impression on the Italian operatic scene and was engaged to sing in theaters throughout his country. In 1961, he made his first appearances outside Italy, in La Traviata in Belgrade with Virginia Zeani. 1963 was an important year for the young tenor as he again joined Miss Zeani in Lucia di Lammermoor in Amsterdam. Appearances followed in Vienna and Zurich, and in September, he substituted for an ailing Giuseppe di Stefano as Rodolfo at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conquering the London audiences with his performances. He made his first television appearances at that time, and at the end of the year sang for the first time in Spain, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. In 1964, he appeared at the famed Glyndebourne Festival, singing Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo.

Luciano Pavarotti sang Rodolfo in the first live telecast from the Met in March of 1977, and he has appeared in many "Live from the Met" telecasts since then, the latest being I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata in March of 1994 and the Opening Night performance of the 1994 – 95 season, Pagliacci in December. Many of these performances are available on videocassette. His performance of Andrea Chénier was recorded for television to be seen later in the season. He has also appeared in televised performances from San Francisco and from the Opera Company of Philadelphia. In addition, his performance in Aida from La Scala was seen in Europe, and China saw his La Bohème on the occasion of his journey there.

Luciano Pavarotti has organized an international competition for young singers, appearing with the winners in performance. The first competition culminated in performances of La Bohème and L'Elisir d'amore in 1982, and the second competition with La Bohème and Un Ballo in maschera in 1986, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of his career. To celebrate, he brought the winners of that competition to Italy for gala performances of La Bohème in Modena and in Genoa that resulted in his historic visit to China for performances of the opera with the young singers in Beijing. At the conservatory in Beijing, he conducted Master Classes with the Chinese students. To conclude the visit, he sang a concert in the Great Hall of the People before an audience of some ten thousand, the first concert ever held there. The third competition brought forth performances of L'Elisir d'amore and Un Ballo in maschera in 1989, the first being performed in that city's Cathedral of St. Peter. The most recent competition concluded with the performances in Philadelphia in September, 1996. He has also worked extensively with young singers conducting Master Classes, including a series at New York's Juilliard School which was also seen on the PBS Television network.