About the Author

By now he has sung 123 different roles, more than any other tenor in the annals of music, with at least two more new roles planned in the next three seasons. His repertoire spans the gamut from Mozart to Verdi, from Berlioz to Puccini, from Wagner to Ginastera. He sings in every important Opera House in the world and has made an unparalleled amount of recordings of which 101 are full-length operas, often recording the same role more than once, and for which he has earned nine Grammy's and two Grammy's in the newly established Latin Division. He has made more than 50 videos and 3 theatrically released films which are Zeffirelli's "Traviata" and "Otello" and Francesco Rosi's "Carmen. His telecast of "Tosca” from the authentic settings in Rome, was seen by more than 1 billion people in 117 different countries. By now he has opened the Met season a record-setting 21 different times, having by-passed in 1999 the old Caruso record of 17 opening nights.As a conductor he has led opera performances in all the important theaters from the Metropolitan to London's Covent Garden and the Vienna State Opera and has conducted purely symphonic concerts with such renowned orchestras as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony and the Chicago Symphony, while also making recordings as a conductor.As administrator he was the music director of the Seville World’s Expo Fair and in this capacity invited the world's foremost orchestras and opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, to Seville, Spain. He is today the General Director of both the Washington National Opera (www.dc-opera.org) and of the Los Angeles Opera (www.losangelesopera.com). Both companies enjoy today special artistic acclaim and financial stability.Born in Madrid to parents who were Zarzuela performers, Plácido Domingo moved to Mexico at the age of eight. He went to Mexico City’s Conservatory of Music to study piano and conducting, but eventually was sidetracked into vocal training after his voice was discovered. He made his operatic debut at Monterrey as Alfredo in "La Traviata". In 1966, he created the title role in the United States premiere of Ginastera's "Don Rodrigo" at the New York City Opera while appearing there in standard repertory as well. His Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1968, as Maurizio in "Adriana Lecouvreur. He has subsequently appeared there in more than 590 performances of 42 different roles and is now in his 38th consecutive season with the company (2006/2007). He appears regularly at all the big opera houses, including Milan’s La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London's Covent Garden, Paris' Bastille Opera, the San Francisco Opera, Chicago's Lyric Opera, the Washington National Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Real in Madrid, and at the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals.Domi

Read Next Recommendation