Juan Diego Florez
Juan Diego Florez is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden El Sol del Peru.
Juan Diego Florez was born in Lima, Peru on January 13, 1973 where his father, Ruben Florez, was a noted guitarist and singer of Peruvian popular and criolla music. In an interview in the Peruvian newspaper Ojo, Florez recounted his early days when his mother managed a pub with live music and he worked as a replacement singer whenever the main attraction called in sick. "It was a tremendous experience for me, since most of those who were regulars at the pub were of a certain age, so I had to be ready to sing anything from huaynos to Elvis Presley music and, in my mind, that served me a great deal because, in the final analysis, any music that is well structured - whether it is jazz, opera, or pop - is good music". 'Cantaba huaynos, rock y temas de Elvis', Ojo, 5 June 2006
He received a scholarship to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia where he studied from 1993 to 1996 and began singing in student opera productions in the repertory which is still his specialty today, Rossini and the Bel Canto operas of Bellini and Donizetti. During this period, he also studied with Marilyn Horne at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. In 1994 the Peruvian tenor, Ernesto Palacio invited him to Italy to work on a recording of Vicente Martin y Soler's opera Il Tutore Burlato. He subsequently became Florez's teacher, mentor and manager and has had a profound influence on his career.
Related websites
Presidencia de la Republica del Peru Nota de Prensa N 581
'He's got no strings'
Ernesto Palacio Artists Management
'From Peru to Pesaro - Interview with Juan Diego Florez'
juandiegoflorez.com
Reviews, articles, photos and future schedules from The Opera Critic
Florezidos
Juan Diego Florez's personal web page
Voce di Tenore
juandiegoflorez.it
YouTube
YouTube
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