The Peruvian bel canto tenor Juan Diego Flórez (*1973) was initially enthusiastic about the folk music of his homeland as well as rock and pop music before he received his first music lessons at the National Conservatory at the age of 17. This was followed by a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music in the U.S., where Flórez also gained his first opera experience. Flórez celebrated his international breakthrough at the annual Rossini Festival in Pesaro, Italy, when - instead of his planned supporting role - he stepped in at short notice for the title role of Corradino. In the same year he made his sensational debut at La Scala in Milan under the baton of Riccardo Muti. Worldwide engagements in all the great houses followed, including the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Bavarian State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden and the Zurich Opera.
Several of his CD recordings have won Echo Klassik awards. In 2007, Flórez was awarded the Order of El Sol del Perú - the highest Peruvian state honor. His Sinfonía por Perú, founded in 2011, today gives children in 20 centers access to musical education. For his social commitment, Floréz was included in the ranks of UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassadors.