Juan Diego Flórez
Tenor
Tenor Juan Diego Flórez was born in Lima in 1973 and began singing and playing Peruvian folk music and pop music at a very young age. At 17, he enrolled in Lima’s National Conservatory of Music and three years later won a scholarship to continue his vocal studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
In 1996, he made his professional debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, stepping in on short notice to sing the lead tenor role of Corradino in Matilde di Shabran. Despite the short preparation time, his debut proved hugely successful and marked the start of a stellar career. His expressive voice and astonishing agility made him an overnight sensation and led to his debut later that year, at the age of 23, at the season opening of Teatro alla Scala conducted by Riccardo Muti. Since then, he has appeared at every major international opera house under the world’s leading conductors.
At the beginning of his career, he received renown for his performances of the bel canto repertoire, and later, his renditions of the French Romantic heroes earned him great acclaim from the public and critics. His most recent role debuts include Raoul de Nangis in Les Huguenots at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia in concert performances at the Salzburg Festival and in a staged production at the Bavarian State Opera, Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Opéra de Monte Carlo, Ricciardo in Ricciardo e Zoraide at the Rossini Opera Festival, Alfredo in La traviata at the Metropolitan Opera, Des Grieux in Manon at the Vienna State Opera, Rodolfo in La bohème at the Royal Opera House, and the title role in Faust at the Vienna State Opera.
Mr. Flórez has recorded numerous solo albums, as well as complete operas on CD and DVD. His recent releases include a disc of Mozart arias in 2017 and Bésame mucho, an album of Latin American songs, in 2018. He has been recognized by the BBC as one of the finest tenors of all time and has received many honors and awards, including Peru’s highest distinction, the Gran Cruz de la Orden El Sol. The Austrian government named him Kammersänger in 2012.
In 2011, Mr. Flórez founded Sinfonía por el Perú, an inclusive social project that operates orchestras and choirs throughout Peru to help the most vulnerable children and adolescents through music. In recognition of the foundation’s work, he was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and received the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award.
