Born in Barcelona, José Carreras studied music in his hometown. In 1970 he started his professional career in the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona starring in Nabucco and Lucrezia Borgia. His meteoric musical career resulted in early debuts at the world's most prestigious opera hauses, including the Teatro La Scala of Milan, the New York Metropolitan Opera House, the Vienna Staatsoper, London's Royal Opera House, the Opera of Münich, Chicago's Lyric Opera; and the festivals of Salzburg, Aix en Provence, Edinburgh and Verona. José Carreras has collaborated with the most reknown orchestra conductors including the late Herbert von Karajan (an artistic and personal relationship which lasted over twelve years and included performances in Salzburg, Berlin and Vienna), Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel,

Riccardo Chailly, Colin Davis, Giuseppe Sinopoli, James Levine, Carlo Maria Giulini, Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Metha, and with world famous stage directors such as: Franco Zeffirelli, Jean Pierre Ponnelle, Giorgio Streheler, Luigi Comencini and Harold Prince. His repertoire includes over sixty operas in which he has performed for Television, Cinema and Video. His extensive discography includes over 150 recordings, notably 50 complete operas, oratories, popular and classical recitals. He has been awarded many Gold and Platinum Discs worldwide. He has given frequent recitals in the world's most famous halls: Carnegie Hall and the Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in London; the Salle Pleyel in Paris, at the Musikverein and Konzerthaus of Vienna, the Berlin Philarmonie, the Suntory Hall and NHK Hall in Tokyo, the Grosses Festspielhaus of Salzburg, the Philarmonie and the Hercules Saal of Munich, the Palau de la Music of Barcelona, the Teatro Real of Madrid, the Accademia Santa Cecilia of Rome. Among the numerous national and international prizes and distinctions which have been bestowed upon José Carreras are an Emmy from the Accademy of Television Arts and Sciences of the United States; the Grand Prix du Disque from the Accademy of Paris; the Luigi Illica Prize; a 1991 Grammy Award; the Sir Lawrence Oliver Award; Kammersänger and Lifetime Honorary Member of the Vienna Staatsoper, Honorary Member of the London Royal Accademy of Music, the Gold Medal of the New York Spanish Institute; the Gold Medal of the City of Vienna; the Gold Medal of the Fine Arts bestowed by His Majesty the King of Spain; the Gold Medal of the City of Barcelona; the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalunya; Prince of Asturias Award 1991; Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française; Gran Croce di Cavaliere and Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana; Goodwill Ambassador of Unesco. He has also been awarded the title Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Barcelona and the Universities of Loughborough and Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Since 1988, he has presided with total dedication and enthusiasm over the "José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation" established in Barcelona with branches in the United States, Switzerland and Germany. Currently his Leukaemia Foundation is one of his most important goals and priorities.