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Juan Diego Florez belted out the lead role in Rossini's Le Comt Ory Saturday at the Metropolitan Opera. But he nearly missed his curtain call.

Less than an hour before Florez had taken the stage he'd witnessed another world class performance, one in which his wife was the star, when she delivered their first child in their Manhattan apartment.

"It was 12 o'clock and my performance was at one and at about 12:15 she said, 'I feel the head,'" recalled Florez. "And I saw the midwives getting their gloves on so I just took my clothes off and I got in the pool with her because I want to be together."

Florez said he nearly asked the opera to postpone the show because he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his Midtown apartment and missing the birth. Luckily, he says he got to do both.

"His name is Leandro Julian Florez. He came at 12:22 p.m. then I stayed there and I bonded with my baby until 12:35 p.m. then I went to the theater running and I had some minutes to change costume and warm up and sing," Florez said.

But staying up with his wife while she was in was in labor all night left the Peruvian tenor a little tired.

"To sing an opera like that difficult you need a good nine to 10 hours and I didn't sleep so I was very tired but I guess my happiness and energy made me get through the opera and it was a great performance. My first performance as a father and I will never forget it," said Florez.

The tenor not only helped two midwives deliver little Leandro, as he also delivered a stellar performance that was transmitted live to movie theaters and radio stations around the world. And it all happened right on time. After all, the show must go on.