José Carreras

Born in Barcelona, opera singer José Carreras won international fame in the 1970s as one of the world's premier tenors, achieving iconic status as one of the Three Tenors along with Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.

Carreras studied music as a child at the Barcelona Conservatory and, at the age of 11, made his debut at Liceu Opera Barcelona as Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's 'El Retablo De Maese Pedro'. Mario Lanza's singing in the 1951 film 'The Great Caruso' inspired him and after further vocal training, he landed the small role of Flavio in a 1970 production of Vincenzo Bellini's 'Norma' at Liceu Opera. It starred soprano Montserrat Caballé, whose support led to his singing opposite her in Gaetano Donizetti's 'Lucrezia Borgia'.

The international concert hall beckoned and he sang the parts of Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's 'La Bohème' in Parma, Italy, and Pinkerton in a New York City Opera production of 'Madame Butterfly'. He went on to sing at all the major opera halls and festivals around the world from London's Royal Opera House to the Vienna State Opera. His repertoire covers more than 60 operas with more than 150 recordings including 50 complete operas and oratorios. He ventured into film and stage music with Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story' (1984), 'Hollywood Golden Classics' (1991) and 'Mediterranean Passion' (2008), with his overall record sales exceeding 85 million. His most recent recordings include 'José Carreras: Legendary Recordings' (2014), 'The Phantom of the Opera: José Carreras Sings Lloyd-Webber' (2015) and 'A Life in Music' (2016).

Showered with medals, awards and honours from a wide range of nations, Carreras won a Grammy Award along with Domingo and Pavarotti as the Three Tenors and he picked up an Olivier Award in 1993 for his Royal Opera House performance in Verdi's 'Stiffelio'. To worldwide acclaim, the Three Tenors staged 30 concerts even though their first was intended to be a one-time charity event to raise funds to fight leukaemia. Carreras had been diagnosed with the life-threatening disease in 1987 when he was 40. Given only a slim hope of recovery, his series of operations and chemotherapy proved successful although he was unable thereafter to tackle the fully complex operatic roles of his youth. He founded the José Carreras Leukaemia Foundation, which brings in millions of pounds each year, and he became determined to make opera more accessible to general audiences. Carreras published his autobiography, 'Singing from the Soul', in 1991 and a South Bank Show documentary, 'José Carreras: A Life Story' two years later received an international Emmy Award.