Javier Camarena facts for kids
Javier Camarena is a famous Mexican operatic tenor. He was born on March 26, 1976. A tenor is a male singer with a high voice.
Javier was born in Xalapa, a city in Veracruz, Mexico. His father worked as a technician at a nuclear plant.
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What is an Opera Tenor?
Javier Camarena is a tenor. This means he sings the highest male parts in operas. Tenors often play the main hero or romantic lead in a story.
Bel Canto Style
Javier is especially good at singing roles from the "bel canto" era. This Italian phrase means "beautiful singing." It's a style of opera from the 1800s. It focuses on showing off the singer's amazing voice.
He sings operas by composers like Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Some of his famous roles include:
- Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
- Arturo in I puritani
- Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)
He has also sung important tenor roles in operas by Mozart and Verdi.
Where He Performs
Javier Camarena has sung in many of the world's most famous opera houses. These are special theaters where operas are performed. He has also performed at big music festivals.
Some of the places he has sung include:
- Zurich Opera (Switzerland)
- The Royal Opera in London (England)
- Salzburg Festival (Austria)
- Deutsche Oper Berlin (Germany)
- Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City (Mexico)
- Paris Opéra (France)
- Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich (Germany)
- Liceu in Barcelona (Spain)
- Staatsoper Wien (Austria)
Praised Performances
In 2018, Javier sang the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Real in Madrid. People loved his performance. They said he had a "voice of gobsmacking beauty." This means his voice was incredibly beautiful. He also sang with "thrillingly secure high notes." This means he could hit very high notes perfectly.
In January 2021, he gave a concert in Madrid. He sang with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and conductor Ivan Lopez-Reynoso.
Metropolitan Opera Debut
Javier Camarena made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in October 2011. He sang the role of Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Special Encores
Javier Camarena is known for something very special at the Met. An "encore" is when the audience claps so much that the singer performs an extra song.
- On April 25, 2014, he became only the third singer in 70 years at the Metropolitan Opera to perform an encore onstage.
- On March 12, 2016, he became the second singer to perform multiple encores. This means he sang more than one extra song because the audience loved him so much!
Awards
Javier Camarena received an award from Opera News in 2020. Opera News is a well-known magazine about opera.
Select discography
- La colombe, by Gounod. This is an opera recording.
- Contrabandista, a recital album. This is a collection of songs he sings.
See also
In Spanish: Javier Camarena para niños
