Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano. Opera singer. Bio

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Montserrat Caballé i Folch

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Montserrat Caballé i Folch © EFE

Speciality

Music

Date of birth

Apr 12, 1933

Date of death

Oct 6, 2018

"Soprano tessitura opera singer. Known for her vocal technique and her performances of the bel canto repertoire. One of the best sopranos of all time."

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María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch was born in Barcelona in 1933. She studied for 12 years at the Liceu Music Conservatory in Barcelona. She attributed the development of her breathing technique to Eugenia Kemmeny, one of her teachers. In 1955, she made her debut as a singer in the leading role in 'La Serva Padrona' by Pergolesi at the Teatro Fortuny in Reus. Her repertoire includes over 90 operas and her most unforgettable performances have been works by Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi. International fame arrived at the Carnegie Hall in 1965, when she replaced Marilyn Horne in 'Lucrezia Borgia'. Through her interpretation of 'Barcelona', the official song of the Barcelona Olympic Games (1992), with Freddie Mercury, her voice became familiar to public of all ages. She died in Barcelona in 2018.

Awards

National Music Award (1982)
Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (1973)
Gold Medal from the Generalitat de Catalunya (1982)
Doctor Honoris Causa from the Menéndez Pelayo International University in Santander (2008)

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