Pamela Springsteen, Virgin Classics Rollando Villazon in a happier moment from 2006.

Tenor Rolando Villazon has canceled his appearance at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's gala concert Sept. 15 at Heinz Hall. Villazon is "ill and has been instructed by his doctor to cancel all performances for the next two to three months in order to make a complete recovery," PSO spokesman Jim Barthen said.

The cancellation comes on the heels of the Mexican tenor and former Pittsburgh Opera Center artist canceling his appearances at the Salzburg Festival and several other European engagements. The PSO is in the process of searching for a replacement in the concert that will also vocalist Kristin Chenoweth.

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After his cancellations at Salzburg I had a sinking feeling we might not be hearing Villazon, one of the world's top tenors and a Pittsburgh Steelers fan! He once told me that he asked for the score of one of the Steelers playoff games during its Superbowl run -- backstage, in-between singing in an opera in Europe!

It's a shame the Symphony crowd will not get to hear him. The Pittsburgh Opera audience already knows with his work at the Opera Center and singing in "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the Pittsburgh Opera mainstage. But if he needs to rest to get healthy everyone should say take the time off. Villazon is one of the genuinely great people in opera and a hard worker; he deserves the time to get healthy.