Opera Singers

All of these opera singers are established and well known throughout the world. They have sung throughout the entire world, and have made waves as the best of the best in the world of opera. All of these opera singers are award winners, and have natural talent that has been recognized by fans and critics.

1. Luciano Pavarotti. He is one of the most well known opera singers to date. Born in 1935, Pavarotti was an Italian tenor whose career started in 1961. He gained popular success in the United States, and in 1993 performed to half a million people in New York's Central Park. He was a part of "The Three Tenors," which was the name given to him, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras who sang together during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998 this opera singer won a Grammy Legend Award. His final staged opera performance was in March 2004 at New York City's Metropolitan Opera. His final performance was at the 2006 Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in which he performed "Nessun dorma." In 2007, Pavarotti passed away from pancreatic cancer.
2. Joan Sutherland. She is an Australian opera singer who in 1960 was given the nickname 'La Stupenda (The Stunning One)' by the press after her performance in "Alcina" at La Fenice, Venice. Sutherland is a soprano opera singer who was mentored by her conductor husband Richard Bonynge. Her first performance in America was in 1960 at the Dallas opera in which she played the title role of Handel’s “Alcina.” Her signature role was the title character in Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor." On October 10, 2010 this famous opera singer passed away in Switzerland at the age of 83.
3. Maria Callas. American opera singer Maria Callas was born in 1923 in New York. She was a coloratura soprano, which means the style of opera she performed dramatic and elaborate. Her parents were both born in Greece, and in 1937 her mother moved them back to Greece so Callas could get classical training on her voice. Her career as an opera singer began in Italy in 1947 in which she performed La Gioconda at the Verona Arena. She is most well known for singing the title role in Bellini's "Norma." In 1954 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago she made her American debut. She passed away in 1977 under unknown circumstances.
4. Placido Domingo. Opera singer Placido Domingo was born in Madrid, Spain in 1941. Not only is he an opera singer, but also a conductor and pianist. Initially, Domingo thought he could be a baritone opera singer, but when he tried out for the National Opera in Mexico they asked him to sing in a tenor range. He became one of The Three Tenors along with José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. As an opera singer his first America appearance was in 1961 with the Dallas Civic Orchestra. He has performed in, “Madame Butterfly,”, “Adrianna Lecouveur,” and “La Traviata.” In 2000 he received a Kennedy Center Honor lifetime achievement award from Bill Clinton.
5. Enrico Caruso. Born in 1873, in Naples, Italy Enrico Caruso was an operatic tenor. He always had a passion for singing, and started off performing at weddings and in cafes. As an opera singer his first performance was in Morelli’s "L’Amico Francesco." In 1897 Caruso made his debut in Italy in the opera "La Gioconda." In 1902 he performed "Rigoletto" at the Metropolitan Opera in America for 17 seasons. In 1907 he was made a member of the British Royal Victorian Order. Currently, there is a Caruso Museum which was created by his son and it holds Caruso's memoirs, Victor records, and his personal effects.