José Carreras, whose real name is Josep Maria Carreras Coll, is a Spanish operatic tenor best remembered for his appearances in operas by Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini. He was born in Barcelona and had his operatic debut at age 11 as Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro. He then went on to have a career that included over 60 parts, appearances in the top opera houses across the world, and several recordings. In a series of massive concerts from 1990 through 2003, he acquired notoriety with a larger audience as one of the Three Tenors alongside Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. As head of the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation, which he founded after overcoming his own leukemia in 1988, he is also well known for his humanitarian activities.
José Carreras