The voice of lyric tenor Ramón Vargas, a specialist in Verdi and Rossini, has been compared with that of Luciano Pavarotti. He is one of the most prominent opera singers modern Mexico has produced. Vargas was born on September 11, 1960, in Mexico City. He took up singing and joined the choir of the local Basilica of Guadalupe when he was nine. Vargas went on to the Instituto de Música y Arte Cardenal Miranda, where he studied with António López and Ricardo Sánchez. A breakthrough for Vargas was a win at the 1982 Carlo Morelli National Singing Competition. Later that year, the tenor made his professional debut in Monterrey, Mexico, in Haydn's opera Lo speziale. The following year, Vargas caught the attention of conductor Eduardo Mata, who engaged him to sing the roles of Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni and Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff. Another competition win -- at the the Enrico Caruso Tenor Competition in Milan, Italy -- led Vargas to move to Europe; he took further vocal studies with Leo Müller at the school of the Vienna State Opera and hired Rodolfo Celletti in Milan as his vocal coach. Vargas made his recording debut in 1993 on a recording of Bellini's Zaira that featured Katia Ricciarelli; his solo debut came in 1996 on the Claves label with the album Christmas with Ramon Vargas. Vargas has appeared at many of the world's top opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, where he has sung major Verdi roles, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the Vienna State Opera. He has specialized in Verdi, Rossini, and the Italian bel canto opera composers. Vargas is also renowned as a concert performer, singing German lieder, Italian songs, French mélodies, and, on occasion, popular Mexican song repertory. British Opera Now named Vargas its Artist of the Year. Vargas has recorded for Claves, RCA Red Seal, and other labels, appearing on many major opera releases and issuing various solo albums such as Verdi Arias (2001) and Between Friends (2004). The pace of Vargas' recording releases slowed somewhat later in his career, but in 2023, he appeared on the Opera Rara label in the premiere recording of Saverio Mercadante's opera Il Proscritto. ~ James Manheim, Rovi