TAMPA, Fla. — An emergency medicine resident at Tampa General Hospital isn’t just learning the ins and outs of saving lives — you can also call him a Grammy Award winner.
Dr. Rishi Rane started out his career in music studying vocal performance at the University of Miami.
“Right after graduating from college, I decided I wanted to move to New York, which is where a lot of artists go and just audition for roles for gigs," said Rane.
Rane lived that life for several years and even traveled the world. But as an artist, he explained there are ups and downs.
“There’s a lot of times where you’re having to just make ends meet, and in between gigs, I was just thinking, you know there are other opportunities here. I can maybe go back to school and do something else on the side,” said Rane.
Rane later shifted his career to medicine and got into medical school at FIU. While in med school and out of the blue, he got an opportunity to audition for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Porgy and Bess.” After auditioning, Rane landed a role in the ensemble.
Rane was able to work it out with the school to take on the opportunity. He shared how he juggled being a medical student and in a show at the same time.
“When I went up there, I had to continue with part of my curriculum as a med student, so I managed to get a rotation at a hospital while I was up there in the emergency department,” said Rane. “While I was by day doing some shifts in the emergency department as a fourth-year med student, I was in the evenings going for my rehearsals at the Metropolitan Opera.”
When the production wrapped up, Rane finished med school and transitioned life to Tampa, now as an emergency medicine resident at Tampa General during a pandemic. While engrossed in work, he later heard the production had been nominated for Best Opera Recording at the Grammys this year.
“Then a couple of weeks after I heard about the nomination was the actually Grammys. I was actually out to lunch with a friend at that time, and it wasn’t even a thought on my mind,” said Rane. ”I got a call, and my friend said, ‘Rishi, guess what?’ I was like, ‘what?’ ‘We won. We won Best Opera Recording.’ And I was just so taken aback.”
While the show leads will get the iconic trophies, Rane says he will still get a certificate from the Grammys as part of the ensemble.
“So I’ll at least have something that I can put on my wall next to my medical school graduation diploma as well,” said Rane.
Dr. Rane says he did get offered to come back, but he had to turn it down, though he hopes after residency he can continue to perform. For now, his focus remains on medicine, but he says the door for music is still open.
“Just having music in my life is important, and if that means I get to perform only for myself at home, I’m okay with that, as long as it brings me happiness,” said Rane.
