José Carreras occupies a privileged position in the music world. Born in Barcelona, he studied music in his hometown. In 1970 he began his professional career in the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona in Nabucco and Lucrezia Borgia.
His meteoric musical career resulted in early débuts at the world’s most prestigious opera theaters and festivals, including the Theatre alla Scala of Milan, the New York Metropolitan Opera House, San Francisco Opera, the Vienna Staatsoper, London’s Royal Opera House, the Oper of Munich, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and the Festivals of Salzburg, Aix en Provence, Edinburgh and Verona.
José Carreras has collaborated with the most renowned orchestral conductors including Herbert von Karajan (an artistic and personal relationship which lasted over twelve years and included performances in Salzburg, Berlin and Vienna), Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Colin Davis, Giuseppe Sinopoli, James Levine, Carlo Maria Giulini, Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Metha, and with pre-eminent stage directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Jean Pierre Ponnelle, Giorgio Strehler, Luigi Comencini and Harold Prince.
His repertoire includes over sixty operas, of which the following stand out: Andrea Chenier, La Bohème, Tosca, Werther, Don Carlo, Carmen, La Forza del Destino, I Pagliacci, L’Elisir d’Amore and Un Ballo in Maschera. José Carreras has performed the leading role in several operatic films for television, cinema and video.
Together with his opera activities, he has given frequent recitals in the world’s most famous halls. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Avery Fisher Hall of New York; the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall in London; the Salle Pleyel in Paris; the Musikverein and Konzerthaus of Vienna; the Berlin Philharmonie; Suntory Hall and the NHK Hall in Tokyo; the Grosses Festspielhaus of Salzburg; the Philarmonie and the Hercules Saal of Munich; the Palau de la Música of Barcelona; the Teatro Real of Madrid; and the Accademia Santa Cecilia of Rome. His wide concert repertoire includes over 600 titles of the most diverse styles ranging from the baroque to contemporary music.
Among the numerous national and international prizes and distinctions which have been bestowed upon José Carreras are the Grand Prix du Disque from the Academy of Paris, the Luigi Illica Prize, a 1991 Grammy Award, the Sir Lawrence Olivier Award for his performance in Stiffelio at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Kammersänger and Lifetime Honorary Member of the Vienna Staatsoper, and Honorary Member of the London Royal Academy of Music. He received the Gold Medal of the New York Spanish Institute, the Gold Medal of the City of Vienna, the Gold Medal of Fine Arts bestowed by His Majesty the King of Spain, the Gold Medal of the City of Barcelona, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Prince of Asturias Award 1991, and The Albert Schweitzer Music Award 1996. He is Honorary President of the London Arts Orchestra.
He is Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier dans l'Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur de la République Française, Gran Croce di Cavaliere and Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana, Honour Medal of the Bavarian Government, Grand Honour Award of the Austrian Republic, Komandor’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Polish Republic, Commandeur de la Médaille du Sahametrei of the Royal Cambodian Government and Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO. In 2004 he received the Civil Order Golden Cross of the Social Solidarity bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen of Spain, Doña Sofía; the National Order Steaua Romaniei (Etoile de la Roumanie) of Romania in a degree of Grand Officer; and the Big Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He has also been awarded the title Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Barcelona (Spain), the Universities of Loughborough and Sheffield (United Kingdom), the University Mendeleyev of Moscow (Russia), the University of Camerino (Italy), the Napier University in Edinburgh (Scotland), the Rutgers University (United States), the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (Spain), the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the National University of Music in Bucharest (Romania), the University of Marburg (Germany) and, most recently, the University of Pécs (Hungary).
In 1992 José Carreras was engaged as Musical Director of the memorable Olympic Games held in Barcelona. The 3 Tenors concerts offered by José Carreras together with his colleagues Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, are now legendary.
Since 1988, he presides with total dedication and enthusiasm over the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation established in Barcelona with branches in the United States, Switzerland and Germany. Currently his Leukaemia Foundation is one of his most important goals and priorities.
