Jose Carreras

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<h2>Early Life and Musical Beginnings</h2>

<a href="/biography/jose-carreras">José Carreras</a> was born <a href="/biography/jose-carreras">Josep Maria Carreras i Coll</a> on December 5, 1946, in Barcelona, Spain, located on the Mediterranean coast. His passion for singing emerged early in life. In his autobiography, Carreras recalls being inspired at the age of six after watching the film The Great Caruso, featuring American <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Lanza">tenor</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Lanza">Mario Lanza</a>. The performance so moved him that he began singing arias on his own. This enthusiasm led to his public debut at age seven, performing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Verdi">Giuseppe Verdi</a>’s “La donna è mobile” on national radio.

Encouraged by his grandfather, Salvador Coll—an amateur baritone—Carreras began formal music studies at the Barcelona Conservatory when he was eight. His operatic stage debut came at age eleven in the boy soprano role of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trujamán">Trujamán</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_de_Falla">Manuel de Falla</a>’s one-act opera El retablo de maese Pedro, based on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote">Don Quixote</a>.

During his teenage years, Carreras took private voice lessons with Francisco Puig and later with Juan Ruax, whom he credits as his "artistic father." Although he had early success in music, Carreras’ father urged him to pursue a stable career, leading him to study chemistry at the University of Barcelona for two years. However, José ultimately chose to follow his passion for singing. A turning point came in 1970 when he was cast in a production of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Bellini">Vincenzo Bellini</a>’s Norma at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, where he met soprano <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caballé">Montserrat Caballé</a>. She became a key mentor in his professional advancement.

<h2>Operatic Career and Rise to International Tenor</h2>

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caballé">Montserrat Caballé</a> invited Carreras to perform the role of Gennaro with her in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Donizetti">Donizetti</a>’s Lucrezia Borgia in 1970. Carreras considers this appearance his true debut as a tenor. In 1971, he performed in a concert version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Donizetti">Donizetti</a>'s Maria Stuarda at London’s Royal Festival Hall, again alongside <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caballé">Caballé</a>. Over the years, they would appear together in fifteen operas. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caballé">Caballé</a>'s brother, Carlos Caballé, became Carreras’ manager and managed his career well into the 1990s.

Carreras’ international reputation grew rapidly. He made his American debut in 1972 as Pinkerton in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Puccini">Puccini</a>’s Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera. Subsequent debuts followed, including performances with the San Francisco Opera and the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company in 1973. In 1974, he graced the stages of the Vienna Staatsoper, London’s Royal Opera House, and the New York Metropolitan Opera. By the age of 28, he had performed leading tenor roles in 24 different operas across Europe and North America.

Carreras signed a recording contract with Philips during this prolific period. Notable recordings from this collaboration include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Verdi">Verdi</a> operas such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_corsaro">Il corsaro</a>, I due Foscari, La battaglia di Legnano, Un giorno di regno, and Stiffelio.

<h2>Health Crisis and Triumphant Return</h2>

In 1987, <a href="/biography/jose-carreras">José Carreras</a> was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Facing a grim prognosis, he underwent aggressive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and an autologous bone marrow transplant. Despite the challenges, he successfully recovered and gradually returned to the operatic stage, marking one of the most inspiring comebacks in opera history.

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<h2>The Three Tenors and Global Recognition</h2>

In 1990, the first concert of The Three Tenors—<a href="/biography/jose-carreras">José Carreras</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plácido_Domingo">Plácido Domingo</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano_Pavarotti">Luciano Pavarotti</a>—was held at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. Initially conceived as a benefit to support Carreras’ leukemia foundation, the concert garnered overwhelming enthusiasm and launched what became a globally celebrated musical collaboration.

From 1996 to 1997, The Three Tenors embarked on a world tour, performing at major venues such as Kasumigaoka Stadium in Tokyo, Wembley Stadium in London, Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Giants Stadium near New York City, Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, and numerous others. These concerts were highly successful commercially and played a significant role in bringing classical music and opera to wider audiences.

The recording of the 1990 Rome concert became the best-selling classical album of all time, with nearly thirteen million copies sold. A 1994 televised concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles attracted a global audience of over a billion viewers. Their album The Three Tenors in Concert holds a Guinness World Record for best-selling classical music album.

While the trio faced criticism for commercializing opera—with each tenor reportedly earning one million dollars per concert on their world tour—Carreras responded by noting the disparity in earnings compared to figures in sports, pop music, and film. Despite the debate, The Three Tenors continued to perform and record together until 2003.

<h2>Legacy and Humanitarian Work</h2>

Though Carreras eventually stepped back from complex operatic roles, he remained active as a performer. Speaking in a 2013 interview, he reflected on the natural evolution of a singer’s career: "You can do certain things when you’re younger, when your voice is full, but then you get older."

Following his recovery, Carreras established the Fundació Internacional <a href="/biography/jose-carreras">Josep Carreras</a> per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia (Josep Carreras International Leukemia Foundation) in Barcelona. The organization funds leukemia research and treatment initiatives worldwide. His humanitarian efforts have earned him numerous honorary degrees and accolades from institutions around the globe.

Critics and fans alike have praised Carreras’ voice for its lyrical beauty and expressive power. Often described as a lyric tenor with the richness of a spinto, his voice has been hailed for possessing "a noble timbre, richly coloured and sumptuously resonant."

<h2>References</h2>

<a href="https://www.biography.com/people/jos%C3%A9-carreras-9239419">https://www.biography.com/people/jos%C3%A9-carreras-9239419</a>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Carreras

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Lanza

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_retablo_de_maese_Pedro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Tenors

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