José Carreras holds a singular place among today's most celebrated tenors. Acclaimed for the rich, natural lyricism of his voice and an arresting intensity, Mr. Carreras has brought a distinctive sensibility to the opera stage. He was born in the Spanish region of Catalonia, known for its proud and individualistic people. An irrepressible performer as a boy, his natural vocal gifts were apparent from an early age as he sang along with the recordings of Mario Lanza and Giuseppe di Stefano. Jose Carreras made his operatic debut, at age eleven, on the stage of the famed Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, as the narrator in de Falla's "Master Peter's Puppet Show" . He pursued a more practical curriculum at the University of Barcelona, studying chemistry, but the voice lessons continued.His fate was sealed in 1971 when he won the International Verdi Singing Competition in Parma, Italy, and, that same year, Carreras made his international debut in a concert performance of Donizetti's "Mary Stuart" in London. Jose Carreras sang his first Pinkerton in "Madame Butterfly" with the New York City Opera in 1972; his Metropolitan Opera debut as Cavaradossi in "Tosca" came in 1974, the same year he triumphed at London's Covent Garden, Vienna's Staatsoper, and Milan's La Scala in "Un Ballo in Maschera". By 1975, he had conquered all the leading stages of the world. Herbert von Karajan invited Mr. Carreras to sing in Verdi's "Requiem" during the 1976 Salzburg Easter Festival Performances. Recordings of various works followed, during which the maestro and the tenor cultivated an intense artistic collaboration and close friendship. Recent triumphs include "Fedora" at La Scala and Verdi's " Stiffelio " at Covent Garden, a universally acclaimed performance for which he was awarded the 1992-93 Sir Laurence Olivier Award. Carreras also served as Musical Director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in his beloved native Barcelona. His extensive discography includes over 150 recordings, notably more than 50 complete operas, oratorios and popular and classical recitals for which he has been awarded many gold and platinum discs worldwide. In the summer of 1987, as Jose Carreras is pursuing a brilliant international career, he is suddenly diagnosed with leukemia. Though his chances of survival were slim, it is thanks to the treatment of a devoted team of doctors in the "Hospital Clinico y Provincial" in Barcelona and the "Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center" in Seattle (USA), that he finally overcomes this terrible disease. As a result of this painful experience, Jose Carreras established in 1988 the "Fundacien hnternacional Jose Carreras para la Lucha Contra la Leucemia " also known as 'Jose Carreras Foundation for the Fight Against Leukemia " . Since then, three other foundations have been set up: one in the United States in 1990, another in Switzerland in 1991, and a third in Germany in 1995. Jose Carreras and the Scheufele family, owners of Chopard, have been great friends for a number of years and together founded the organizations in Switzerland and Germany. Karl Scheufele is President of the Swiss foundation and Vice- President of the German one.The goals of these foundations are best expressed in the words of Jose Carreras, "Our aim is clear: each case of leukemia must be definitively overcome " . The foundations are involved in encouraging science and research by supporting promising scientific projects through grants, improving the possibilities of treatment, while increasing the capacity of existing units for bone marrow transplant, improving data banks and supporting other smaller projects linked to this cause. In May 1998, The Jose Carreras Foundation Switzerland, as part of its ongoing fight to cure those suffering from leukemia, decided to support the SWISSCORD project, headed by Prof. Jurg Gmiir, which is in the process of setting up an umbilical cord blood hank. The Jose Carreras Foundation Switzerland is to devote funds raised among its generous donors towards the financing of HLA typing of cord samples blood and, on May 10, 1998, on behalf of the Foundation, Mr. Jose Carreras personally handed over a cheque of SFr. 100'000 to Prof. Bernard Chapuis (Head of the Haematology Division, Geneva Cantonal Hospital) and Prof. Jurg Gmur (Director of the bone marrow transplant programme - Internal Medicine Department, Zurich University Hospital and President of the SWISSCORD national Commission). For further information, contact: Jose Carreras International Foundation, Muntaner 383, 2°, 2a, E-08021 Barcelona Tel. 34 - 93 - 414 55 66