José Carreras holds a singular place among today's most celebrated tenors. Acclaimed for the rich, natural lyricism of his voice and an arresting intensity of delivery, Mr. Carreras has brought a distinctive sensibility to the opera stage.

He was born on December 5, 1947 in the Spanish region of Catalonia, known for its proud and individualistic people. An irrepressible performer as a boy, his natural vocal gifts were apparent from an early age, as he sang along with the recordings of Mario Lanza and Guiseppe di Stefano. At age eleven, on the stage of the famed Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, under the baton of José Iturbi, he made his operatic debut as the narrator in de Falla's Master Peter's Puppet Show.

Although certain his career would be on the opera stage, he pursued a more practical curriculum at the University of Barcelona, studying chemistry, intending to join the family cosmetics concern. However, the voice lessons continued and his fate was sealed in 1971 when he won the International Verdi Singing Competition in Parma, Italy. The prize included an engagement as Rodolfo in La Bohème, a performance that prompted rapturous ovations from the demanding Teatro Regio audience.

In 1971, he made his international debut in a concert performance of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Festival Hall, London. Successes in important roles at opera houses around the world soon broadened his reputation. He sang his first Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera in 1972; his Metropolitan Opera debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca came in 1974, the same year in which he triumphed at London's Covent Garden, Vienna's Staatsoper, and Milan's Scala in Un Ballo in Maschera. By 1975 he had conquered all of the world's leading stages.

Herbert von Karajan invited Mr. Carreras to sing in Verdi's Requiem during the 1976 Salzburg Easter Festival. Performances and recordings of various works followed, during which the maestro and the tenor cultivated an intense artistic collaboration and close friendship that was to last the next twelve years.

Recent triumphs include Fedora at La Scala and Verdi's Stiffelio at Covent garden, a universally acclaimed performance, for which he was awarded the 1992/93 Sir Lawrence Olivier Award. He also served as Musical Director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in his beloved native city of Barcelona.

Over the course of his career Mr. Carreras has made a prodigious number of recordings, including more than 50 complete operas and 40 classical and popular recitals. He has forayed into lighter repertoire, encompassing Spanish and Italian songs, works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the multiple award-winning recording West Side Story, conducted by composer Leonard Berstein, and a tribute to his early vocal inspiration, Mario Lanza. Several of these recordings have achieved gold and platinum status.

Many video recordings of his performances in leading roles are also available. His video portrait, A Life Story won the International Emmy Award and he has also made a motion picture, Romanza Final, in which he portrays the life of tenor Julian Gayarre. Public awareness of his courageous struggle against a near-fatal encounter with leukaemia in 1987 inspired millions.

In 1988 The José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation was established in Barcelona. With the collaboration of a highly qualified worldwide team, including Professor E.D. Thomas the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Mr. Carreras successfully governs his organisation as its president. His autobiography, "José Carreras, Singing From the Soul", tells the extraordinary story of his life and career, his illness and his devotion to his family and children. José Carreras is a hero for our time, a sensitive artist and courageous humanitarian, who has enriched the world with his considerable gifts.