Spanish operatic tenor, probably best known for his association with Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo; in 1990 and 1994, the Three Tenors performed concerts which were watched worldwide by audiences of over two billion. Carreras, with a sensuously beautiful voice, quickly became one of contemporary opera?s most celebrated figures, with a repertoire including “La BohŠme,” Don Carlo” and “I Pagliacci.” His career includes over 150 records, with many achieving gold and platinum status, and he recorded over 50 complete operas.
Born in the Spanish region of Catalonia, his given name was Josep Carreras. The youngest of three children, his parents were Antonia Coll-Saigi and Josep Carreras-Soler. Although he grew up during the years following Spain?s civil war, he remembered his childhood as happy and carefree. His father was a teacher by profession; because he fought on the Republican side during the war, however, his career was ruined, and he eventually became a traffic policeman. His mother had a small hairdressing shop. They immigrated to Argentina in 1951, in a fruitless search for a better life, but returned to Barcelona less than one year later. Carreras began singing as a child, seeming to feel a physical need to do so. He began voice and piano lessons, and seemed to have boundless vocal energy. Even when his family suggested his singing was starting to drive them crazy, he continued, happily locking himself in the bathroom to kept on singing. At age eight, he made his first public performance, singing “La Donna e Mobile” on Spanish National Radio, and he made his operatic debut when he was 11, as the narrator in de Falla?s “Master Peter?s Puppet Show.” He continued his voice lessons while studying chemistry at the university; his intent was to join the family cosmetics company, but winning the International Verdi Singing competition in Parma, Italy changed his plans.
Carreras made his international debut in 1971, in a performance of Donizetti?s “Maria Stuarda” at the Festival Hall in London. One year later, he continued his meteoric rise to fame and debuted at the New York City Opera, with “Madame Butterfly.” In 1974, he debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Cavaradossi in “Tosca.” He received multiple awards throughout his career, including a 1991 Grammy, the Sir Laurence Olivier Award, the Grand Prix du Disque from the Academy of Paris and an Emmy. Lofti Mansouri, Director of the San Francisco Opera, described him as, “One of the most complete operatic stars that I have ever worked with. His musicianship, intelligence, dramatic ability, not to mention his gorgeous voice make him a total artist.” In 1992, he served as musical director for the ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.
He married Mercedes Perez in 1971, and their son Alberto was born one year later. They had a daughter, Julia, in 1977. An intensely private man, he found combining an international career with a family life to be a difficult task. He and his wife divorced in 1992, and he never remarried.
In 1987, at the height of his career, Carreras was diagnosed with acute leukemia. The physicians gave him a ?1 in 10? chance of survival, but he remained optimistic despite being engaged in a battle for his life. After his recovery, he resumed his career, with the majority of his concerts and recitals benefiting the Jos‚ Carerras International Leukemia Foundation, which he established in Barcelona, with branches in the United States, Switzerland and Germany. The Foundation gave him new direction and purpose and remains a high priority in his life. He published an autobiography, “Singing from the Soul,” an account of his battle with leukemia.
Link to Wikipedia biography