José Carreras Biography

José Carreras is a Spanish tenor, best known for his performances as one of the Three Tenors. An internationally acclaimed opera singer, he helped popularize the genre to a wider audience across the globe. Born and raised in Barcelona, he started displaying his musical talents at a young age and was especially skilled at singing. At the age of six, he saw Mario Lanza in ‘The Great Caruso’ and was greatly inspired. From then on, he started singing incessantly, often irritating his family members. The elders in the family were quick to recognize his skill and arranged for him to get music lessons at Barcelona's Municipal Conservatory. He gave his first public performance at the age of eight and made his debut on the operatic stage at eleven. The child prodigy went on to study music at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu and also took private voice lessons. Within years he established himself as a successful and much sought after singer of the opera. Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé became his mentor and helped him achieve international stardom. Diagnosed with leukaemia at the peak of his career, he not only beat the deadly disease, but also went on to establish the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation to help others battling the illness.