Plácido Domingo

Plácido Domingo stands among the most celebrated tenors on the planet, and alongside regular associates Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras he helped drive opera’s broader appeal to present-day listeners. He quickly secured recognition as a leading lyric tenor while proving nearly as adept in dramatic parts. His explorations of Latin and pop repertoire likewise met with success, bringing him Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards plus albums certified silver, gold, platinum, and multi-platinum. During the 2010s his voice lowered with time, yet he kept performing in baritone roles.

Born March 21, 1941, in Madrid, Spain, Domingo grew up with parents who both sang in zarzuela, Spain’s distinctive national musical-theater form. The family moved to Mexico in 1950, where he trained in vocal technique, piano, and conducting at the Mexico City Conservatory. He made his operatic debut in 1959 at the National Opera in Mexico City, taking the minor part of Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto. His first leading tenor assignment came the following year as Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata in Monterrey, Mexico. He then spent nearly three years with the Israel National Opera, delivering 280 performances across a dozen roles. Domingo’s initial appearance with the Metropolitan Opera took place on August 9, 1966, when he sang Turiddu in a Lewisohn Stadium concert version of Cavalleria Rusticana. His formal house debut followed on September 28, 1968, as Maurice de Saxe in Adriana Lecouvreur, the first of more than 400 performances at the venue.

In subsequent seasons Domingo’s reputation expanded through regular engagements at leading houses including La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden, the Opéra de la Bastille in Paris, the San Francisco Opera, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, which he co-founded. His recordings featured collaborations with sopranos such as Rosalind Plowright, Katria Ricciarelli, and Montserrat Caballe.

Throughout the 1980s Domingo expanded his range. He incorporated pop and Latin material, reaching the Top 20 with the 1981 duet “Perhaps Love” alongside John Denver on the album of the same name and receiving a Best Latin Pop Performance Grammy in 1985 for Siempre en Mi Corazón (Always in My Heart), a set of Ernesto Lecuona songs. He also appeared in several filmed operas, among them Franco Zeffirelli’s La Traviata in 1982, Franco Rossi’s Carmen in 1984, and Zeffirelli’s Otello in 1986.

Domingo attained his widest recognition as a member of the Three Tenors, the ensemble completed by Pavarotti and Carreras, whose recordings and concert videos achieved mainstream success rare for opera releases in decades. The trio’s 1990 debut album became one of the best-selling classical albums ever, and they continued performing and recording together until 2003. In 1992 Domingo launched the Christmas in Vienna series of concerts and albums, which included vocalists such as Carreras, Diana Ross, Charles Aznavour, Tony Bennett, and others.

During the 1990s and 2000s his administrative work in opera and the arts grew. After earlier ties with the Washington National Opera he became its Artistic Director in 1996, serving until 2011. He took on the role of Artistic Director at the Los Angeles Opera in 2000 and later General Director in 2003. He also created the international opera competition Operalia and assumed the presidency of Europa Nostra, the European cultural-heritage federation.

Even with these duties Domingo maintained an active performing schedule, though the parts evolved. He sang more Wagnerian and Russian-language operas, including Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, and took on fresh roles in both classic and contemporary works such as Arrigo in Verdi’s La Battaglia di Legnano and the title character in Tan Dun’s The First Emperor. He received notable praise for his 2005 EMI Classics studio recording of Tristan und Isolde, opposite Operalia winner Nina Stemme. In 2009 he moved into baritone territory, beginning with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and continuing with parts in the composer’s Rigoletto, I due Foscari, La Traviata, and Macbeth, among others. He persisted in recording both classical and popular albums; the 2011 collection of Verdi baritone arias earned a Latin Grammy, while further projects included 2012’s Songs featuring Josh Groban and Susan Boyle, the 2015 holiday release My Christmas, and a guest appearance on Il Volo’s Notte Magica: A Tribute to the Three Tenors in 2016. Another seasonal album, Placido Domingo & Friends Celebrate Christmas in Vienna, followed in 2017.