Placido Domingo

Placido Domingo made his major zarzuela debut in a baritone role in 1957, having already performed professionally as a pianist. By 1959, he had transitioned to tenor roles, leading to his professional operatic debut in a leading role as Alfredo in ‘La traviata’ in Monterrey in 1961, the same year he made his U.S. debut with the Dallas Civic Opera. He further honed his craft during a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Israel National Opera (1962-1965), performing an impressive 280 times in 12 different roles.

He continued to expand his repertoire, notably transitioning to baritone roles with his debut as ‘Simon Boccanegra’ in 2009. He created the title role in ‘The First Emperor’ in 2006 and the role of Pablo Neruda in ‘Il Postino’ in 2010. Domingo signed an exclusive record contract with Sony Classics in 2011. His later operatic debuts included Cenobite monk Athanaël in ‘Thaïs’ and Doge Francesco Foscari in ‘I due Foscari’ in 2012, followed by Giorgio Germont in ‘La Traviata’ and Nabucco in ‘Nabucco’ in 2013.

In 2013, Domingo was awarded the Praemium Imperiale prize for music. He further diversified his acclaimed career by voicing a character in ‘The Book of Life’ animated film in 2014 and releasing the holiday album ‘My Christmas’ in 2015. His extensive operatic exploration continued with debuts in title roles such as Giacomo in ‘Giovanna d’Arco’ (2014), Conte di Luna in ‘Il trovatore’ (2014), ‘Macbeth’ (2015), Don Carlo in ‘Ernani’ (2015), and Gianni Schicchi in ‘Gianni Schicchi’ (2015). He performed at the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening gala concert, where he sang his 150th operatic role, solidifying his legacy as one of the most prolific and versatile artists in opera history.

He concluded his tenure as General Director of the Los Angeles Opera in 2019.