José Cura

World-renowned tenor, known primarily for his interpretations of operatic works mainly by Verdi and Puccini as well as French music. He is one of the contemporary artists specializing in verismo. In addition to his wonderful, smooth voice, he also has acting skills and performs in theaters worldwide. He is also involved in composition and conducting.
José Cura comes from Rosario (Argentina), and his musical journey began with learning to play the guitar. At the age of 15, he made his debut as a choir conductor, and a year later he was already studying composition and piano. He began his artistic studies at the University of Rosario, and thanks to his good academic results, he obtained a scholarship that allowed him to travel to Buenos Aires, where he could continue his music studies at the Teatro Colón. In the local choir, the singer developed his vocal skills.
After studying singing in his native Argentina, José moved to Europe, where he met Vittorio Terranova, thanks to whom José learned to perform Italian music in a masterful way. In 1992, the artist made his debut in Verona interpreting the role of the father in Henze's "Pollicino". In Genoa, he appeared as Remendado in "Carmen" and Captain Crossbowmen in "Simon Boccanegra".
The artist has released many CD and DVD albums, where he mainly performs as the interpreter of roles in operas. He has also received many awards, including the First Prize at Operalia in the Plácido Domingo International Vocal Competition (1994), the ECHO Award for Best Singer of the Year from the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis (Germany 1999), the Ewa Czeszejko-Sochacka Foundation Award (Poland 2002), he was named Artist of the Year by Grup de Liceistes (Barcelona 2001), and Artist of the Year by the Catullus Prize (Italy 2003).
In 2007, he made his debut as a conductor, presenting "La comedia è finita", for which he also designed the set. His staging of "Samson et Dalila" by Saint-Saëns, during the opening season of the Badisches Staatstheater, was met with great sympathy from both the audience and critics, making the artist a respected figure in the world of production.