Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo

Born in Madrid in 1941, Plácido Domingo was musically inclined from a young age. His parents were both singers and moved their family to Mexico when Domingo was 8 years old to start a zarzuela company. There, he began developing his musical talent at the Musical Conservatory of Mexico. He made his major zarzuela debut in Manuel Fernández Caballero's Gigantes y cabezudos.

Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo (photo: Rolex/ Mario Testino)

The tenor has sung over 150 roles in some of the greatest opera houses in the world including La Scala in Milan, London's Royal Opera House and The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After establishing himself as an opera great in the 1960s and 1970s, he began recording popular and Latin music in the 1980s with much success. He became a Rolex Arts Testimonee in 1982.

The worlds of opera and popular music came together when Domingo joined Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras to form The Three Tenors in 1990. Their first album together, Carreras Domingo and Pavarotti in Concert, became the best selling classical album of all time.

In 1994 the trio performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for their second album of live recordings. Their performance of My Way is embedded below with Frank Sinatra giving them a standing ovation at the end. Domingo is currently the general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Aside from his illustrious career as a tenor, baritone and conductor, Domingo also gives his time to emerging musical talents. He founded Operalia in 1993, a contest that travels the world looking for fresh opera talent. He is known to take an interest in the winners of the competition and spends time helping develop their individual careers. Rolex has sponsored Operalia since 2001.

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