Despite the fact that some critics say they are pop singers "doing opera", Pene says they will be sticking to their guns and just like his idol Pavarotti, he and his brother Amitai and cousin Moses have the chops to be regarded as opera singers first and foremost.
Like Pavarotti, they take their brand of music to anyone who wants to listen. Not just opera audiences.
An uppercut to the doubters and naysayers was delivered earlier this year when Pene came runner-up in the World Opera Competition at Covent Garden and was also crowned audience favourite.
"I was super-stoked. It was reaffirming," he says.
Remaining accessible to audiences while also pursuing opera careers is important to all of them, but to deny the group would be a denial of who they are, he says.
"We don't have flash backgrounds - we're just normal Kiwis. That's where we come from. That's why we love singing in the group. It's who we are.
"We have put in the hard work and studied, and hopefully we can empower other people from ordinary backgrounds to think if they put in the hard work and have the heart, they can achieve out of their comfort zone."
Pene is currently with the San Francisco Opera Company, in its Young Artist Programme. He says while singing in the group has the reward of representing your country on an international stage, a solo career is what gives him a sense of pride in his personal achievements.
While he will always have Sol3 Mio, pursuing a full-time opera career on world stages is just as high a priority.
"There's something about the unfolding of a play on stage, having the music and the voice to convey the anguish and emotion of it," he says.
"When I heard my first opera I thought it was magical and moving. Hearing a voice in its full glory, opening someone's senses - it sends tingles down my spine.
"That's what I want to do - to open people to the emotion of the voice."
the fine print
What: SOL3 Mio
Where: Baypark Arena
When: Tuesday, March 8
Tickets: On sale October 9, www.sol3mio.com
