He joined the Metropolitan Opera as a leading tenor on February 19, 1958, debuting there as Pinkerton. Of that performance, a March 3, 1958, Time magazine review noted that Fernandi "belted out thundering, on-target salvos of sound that rocked the house," further praising that "physically and vocally it is surely the handsomest Butterfly ever mounted on a U.S.
He joined the Metropolitan Opera as a leading tenor on February 19, 1958, debuting there as Pinkerton. A March 3, 1958 Time magazine review praised his performance, calling it "thundering" and "on-target," further highlighting his physical and vocal prowess as being exceptional.