Juan Diego Florez and Alfredo Graf

Juan Diego drives audiences into frenzy wherever he goes. He has been acclaimed as one of the greatest bel canto tenors of all times. Too often singers arrive on the scene, make one recording, catch some glamour, only to recede into the background once the initial flourish is made. Not so with our conational bel canto tenor Juan Diego Florez. The resounding success of his first album arias by Rossini made us hold our breath; could this wonderful new true bel canto tenor hold his own on stage and more recordings? Yes, he can and has. Not only does he possess a clear, focused, high tenor voice seemingly capable of overcoming any hurdles of power or agility, Juan Diego Florez is a stunning stage presence of handsome bearing. He has a recording contract with Decca and has released an album of Rossini arias. When you listen to his singing, all you can do is gawp as his voice moves flawlessly and brilliantly through Rossini's vocal writing, negotiating high coloratura with a combination of agility and perfection of line and tone.

He was born in Lima in January 1973 and is a warm and charming young man, his father was a Peruvian folk singer and probably that is why he has a strong Peruvian folk-song influence. Actually, Juan Diego includes Peruvian folk songs in his recitals, and gave us the privilege of listening to them a couple of years ago at a grand-recital in Lima, his birth-city.

When he graduated, he went to the US and discovered he was good, and wound up at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Among his teachers was Ernesto Palacio, a noted Rossini tenor.

Florez was soon appearing in student productions of Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Rossini's Barber of Seville and Il Viaggio a Reims. Pesaro was his first professional engagement. Florez also decided to make Italy his home. He now lives in Bergamo, where Donizetti was born and died.

In his birth-city, Lima, we are honoured to be his real estate agents. We are confident we'll exceed Juan Diego's expectations.

Alfredo Graf & Asociados