Vivaldi probably was taught to play the violin by his father, who was professional musician. He trained to be a priest, and because of his red hair, he became known as "il prete rosso", which means "the red priest.". He did not work as a priest for very long, and in 1703, he began teaching violin to girls at an orphanage in Venice, the Pio Ospedale della Pietà. The name means "Devout Hospital of Mercy.". The girls were chosen because they showed exceptional musical abilities. They gave regular concerts, so as part of his duties Vivaldi wrote music for them to play. He lost the job between 1709 and 1711, when he was reappointed. He also took on the extra job of writing sacred music for the girls' choir. He continued teaching until 1716 when he was put in charge of all the music events. 