Rolando Villazón was born in 1972 near Mexico City and was drawn into opera after being discovered singing by baritone Arturo Nieto, who invited him to his music academy. He won second prize, plus the Zarzuela first prize and audience award, at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition in 1999, launching an international career with debuts at the Berlin State Opera (2000), Royal Opera House (2003), and Metropolitan Opera (2004); he acquired French citizenship in 2007.

Villazón became one of the most prominent lyric tenors of the 2000s, recording more than 20 CDs and DVDs for Deutsche Grammophon, including a complete cycle of Mozart operas conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He has since expanded into stage direction and arts administration, serving as artistic director of the Mozart Week festival in Salzburg and of the International Mozarteum Foundation, and is a familiar broadcast personality on European classical media.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolando_Villaz%C3%B3n