With whom did the Basque opera singer Maria sing? Opera singer Montserrat Caballe has died. Photo gallery. The wrath of unrivaled Montserrat

Name: Montserrat Caballe (Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe y Folk)
Date of Birth: April 12, 1933
Zodiac sign: Aries
Age: 85 years
Date of death: October 6, 2018
Place of Birth: Barcelona, ​​Spain
Height: 161
Activity: Opera singer
Tags: singer, opera
Family status: Married

Montserrat Caballe is the most famous Spanish opera singer, the greatest soprano of our days. Today her name is known even to those who are far from opera. The widest range of her voice, unsurpassed skill and bright temperament of the diva conquered the main stages of the world's leading theaters. Caballe is a winner of various awards. He is an Ambassador for Peace and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

On April 12, 1933, a girl was born in Barcelona, ​​who was given the name Montserrat Caballe. Her full name You can hardly pronounce it right away - Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe y Folk. Her parents gave her this name in honor of the sacred mountain of St. Mary of Montserrat.

In the future, she was destined to become a legendary opera singer, who was given the unofficial status of “Unsurpassed”. The baby was born into a poor family of a chemical plant worker and a housekeeper. The mother of the future singer had to earn extra money wherever she could. Montserrat with childhood was partial to music; she spent hours listening to opera arias on records. At the age of twelve, the girl entered the Lyceum of Barcelona, ​​where she studied until her twenty-fourth birthday.

Since money was tight in the family, Montserrat helped her parents, first working in a weaving factory, then in a store and in a sewing workshop. At the same time as studying and earning additional income, the girl took French and Italian lessons.

She studied for four years at the Liceo Conservatory in the class of Eugenia Kemmeni. Hungarian by nationality, ex-swimming champion, singer, Kemmeni came up with own system breathing exercises, the basis of which was strengthening the muscles of the torso and diaphragm. To this day, Montserrat uses her teacher’s breathing exercises and her chants.

Having earned the highest score on final exams, the girl begins a professional career. Patronage famous philanthropist Beltran Mata helped a young girl get into the troupe opera house Basel. The debut of the aspiring singer was the performance main party in the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.

The young artist began to be invited to opera groups in other European cities: Milan, Vienna, Lisbon, and her native Barcelona. Montserrat is developing musical language romantic, classical and baroque operas. But she is especially good at parts from works by Bellini and Donizetti, in which all the power and beauty of her voice is revealed.

By 1965, the Spanish singer was already known outside her homeland, but she gained worldwide popularity after performing the role of Lucrezia Borgia in the American opera Carnegie Hall, when Montserrat Caballe had to replace another star of the classical stage, Marilyn Horne.

After the performance the audience did not let go main character evenings from the stage within half an hour. It is interesting that just this year the solo career of the opera diva Maria Callas ended. Thus, the predecessor, as it were, handed over the palm to Montserrat Caballe, as the best soprano on the planet.

The next peak in creative biography singer was her role in Bellini's opera Norma. This part appeared in the Montserrat repertoire in 1970. The premiere of the play took place at the La Scala theater, and 4 years later the Italian ensemble came on tour to Moscow. For the first time, Soviet listeners had the opportunity to enjoy the sound of the voice of the talented Spaniard, who shone so much in the aria “Norma”. In addition, the diva performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in leading roles in the operas Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Othello, Louise Miller, and Aida.

During her career, Montserrat Caballe managed to collaborate with orchestras of such star conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, James Levine. Her stage partners were the best tenors in the world: Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. The diva was friends with Elena Obraztsova and Marilyn Horne.

In addition to the main opera stages of the world, the Spaniard performed in the Great Hall of Columns of the Kremlin, the White House in the USA, in the UN Auditorium and even in the Hall of the People, which is located in the capital of the People's Republic of China. For the whole creative life The legendary artist sang in more than one hundred and twenty operas, and hundreds of discs were released with her participation. In the seventy-sixth year, at the eighteenth Grammy ceremony, Caballe was awarded an award for performing the best classical vocal solo.

Montserrat Caballe is interested not only opera art. She tries herself in other projects. First time opera diva performed with rock star Freddie Mercury, leader musical group Queen, late eighties. Together they recorded compositions for the album “Barcelona”.

The composition of the same name was performed by the famous duet at the 1992 Olympics, which took place in Catalonia. The hit broke all world chart records and became the anthem not only of the Olympic Games, but also of the entire autonomous community of Spain.

In the late nineties, Montserrat Caballe recorded with the rock band Gotthard from Switzerland, and also gave a joint performance with the Italian pop singer Al Bano in Milan. In addition, the singer is experimenting with electronic music: She records compositions with the Greek author Vangelis, who is one of the founders of the new New Age style.

Among fans of the opera singer, the ballad song “Hijodelaluna” (“Child of the Moon”), which was performed for the first time by the group from Spain “Mecano,” became very popular. Montserrat at one time allocated Russian performer Nikolai Baskov. She noticed in the young tenor great singer and offered him vocal lessons. Subsequently, Montserrat and Basque sang together a duet from E. L. Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera” and famous opera"Ave Maria".

At the age of thirty-one, Montserrat Caballe married fellow opera baritone Bernabe Marti. They met when Marty was asked to perform in place of a sick performer in Madama Butterfly. This opera contains a kissing scene. And then Marty kissed Montserrat so sensually and passionately that the woman almost fainted right on stage. The singer no longer hoped to find love and start a family.

After the wedding, she and her husband sang on the same stage more than once. However, a few years later, Marty decided to leave the stage. Some said that he was diagnosed with heart problems, others said that, finding himself in the shadow of Caballe’s popularity, he decided to devote himself to his family. Be that as it may, the loving spouses maintained their marriage throughout their lives. Soon after the wedding, Montserrat gave her beloved two children: a son, Bernabe, and a daughter, Montserrat.

The girl decided to connect her life with singing, like her mom and dad. She is currently one of the best female vocalists in Spain. At the end of the nineties, mother and daughter performed in the joint program “Two Voices, One Heart,” which opened the next opera season in Europe.

The happiness of Caballe and Marty was not hindered by either the popularity of Montserrat or her excess weight, which began to increase rapidly after the accident. She got into a car accident when she was young; after a head injury, the receptors in the brain that are responsible for lipid metabolism stopped functioning. In an interview, the opera diva explained it this way: when she drinks a glass of water, the body perceives it as if she ate a piece of pie.

With a height of 161 cm, Montserrat Caballe began to weigh more than 100 kg; over time, her figure began to look disproportionate, but the brilliant singer managed to hide this flaw with the help of a special cut of clothes. In addition, Montserrat tries to adhere to specific diets, and from time to time she manages to lose extra pounds. The woman has not drunk alcohol for a long time; for the most part, her diet consists of fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains.

The singer had more serious difficulties than extra pounds. Back in 1992, at a concert in New York, she felt unwell, she was hospitalized, and doctors gave Montserrat a disappointing diagnosis - cancer. They insisted on an urgent operation, but her friend Luciano Pavarotti recommended not to rush, but to contact the Swiss doctor who treated his daughter.

Ultimately, surgery was not necessary. After some time, Caballe felt better, but decided to limit herself to solo concert activities, because on the opera stage she is very worried and worried, and the doctors recommended avoiding stress.

On the eve of the New Year 2016, a scandal occurred with the name of the singer Montserrat Caballe. The Spanish tax authorities accused the celebrity of hiding part of his taxes starting in 2010. For this purpose, Caballe has been indicating the state of Andorra as her place of residence for several years.

For non-payment of taxes, the court sentenced the 82-year-old opera diva to six months' imprisonment and a fine. However, this measure was applied conditionally due to Montserrat disease. At the age of 80, the singer suffered a stroke, which greatly undermined her health.

By the beginning of last year, the conflict between the authorities and Caballe had already been resolved.

This year the opera singer celebrated her 85th birthday. Despite her age, she continues to give concerts. In June, the diva came to Moscow to perform at the Kremlin Palace. And the day before I came to visit Ivan Urgant on the program “ Evening Urgant", where she announced the upcoming performance.

The concert was a family affair, with Montserrat's daughter Marty and granddaughter Daniela appearing on stage with her. Of the sixteen numbers, the opera singer performed only seven. The prima sat in the entire concert wheelchair. IN Lately Caballe has problems with her legs and finds it difficult to move.

On October 6, 2018, information about the singer’s death appeared. She passed away in Barcelona, ​​in a hospital where she was admitted due to bladder problems.

Parties

• The role of Mimi in the opera La bohème by D. Puccini
• The role of Lucrezia Borgia in the opera of the same name by G. Donizetti
• The part of Norma in the opera of the same name by V. Bellini
• Pamina's part in " Magic Flute» W. Mozart
• Marina's role in "Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky
• Tatiana's role in P. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
• The role of Manon in the opera of the same name by J. Massenet
• Part of Turandot in the opera of the same name by D. Puccini
• Isolde's part in R. Wagner's Tristan and Isolde
• Ariadne's part in "Ariadne auf Naxos" by R. Strauss
• Part of Salome in the opera of the same name by R. Strauss
• The role of Tosca in the opera of the same name by G. Puccini

Childhood

Anna Caballe made her husband happy by giving birth to a daughter, who was named Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe and Folk is the singer’s full name.

There were no nobles or intellectuals in the Montserrat family. She grew up in a working class environment. My father was involved in the production of chemical fertilizers and worked as a factory worker. The singer’s mother worked wherever she had to.

It is also known that relatives on the mother’s side were deported to the USSR. They still live in St. Petersburg. And every time Caballe comes on tour to Russia, she is a frequent guest of St. Petersburg, her kindred spirits. Brings them foreign gifts.

Since childhood, Caballe has been drawn to music and singing. She constantly listened to the performances of her favorite artists. IN early age the future diva was already a student at the Lyceum in Barcelona. Next, Montserrat learns singing from the best teachers. To help her parents, she gets a job. Whatever the star was: a saleswoman, a seamstress, a cutter. She combined everything with her studies. At the same time I studied foreign languages French and English.

Caballe completed her studies at the Lyceum brilliantly. The gold medal was in her pocket.

Creative path

While still studying at the Lyceum, Montserrat was noticed. Her voice, her manner of performance. She was recommended to go to Italy to audition for the theater. But she didn’t have the finances to go and live there. Then the Beltran Mata family of philanthropists, who treated talented young artists with condescension, wrote her a letter of recommendation for the then-famous baritone Raimundo Torres. The Beltran Mata will pay all travel expenses. According to all the recommendations, Caballe is accepted into the theater.

During her performance in the theater, the director of the Basel Opera was a spectator in the hall. He was simply fascinated by her voice, her appearance. After the performance, she was offered a job in Bezel. Of course, Caballe agrees, leaving for Switzerland for a year.

Montserrat was once offered the role of Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in New York, which she had originally performed American singer Merlin Horn. It was something unreal. The audience gave Caballe a standing ovation for half an hour. And now she becomes famous throughout the world. She begins performing all over the world:

Montserrat Caballé & Nikolay Baskov

In the Great Hall of Columns of the Kremlin, in the White House in Washington, in the Hall of the People in Beijing and in many other famous places.

Caballe performs on the same stage with outstanding artists: Placido Domingo, Merlin Horn, Alfredo Kraus, Luciano Pavarotti.

Montserrat is very goal-oriented. She understands that you cannot show weakness, you cannot be unprofessional.

At the La Scala theater, Montserrat performed one of her wonderful roles in Bellini's opera Norma. The theater tours all over the world. They did not ignore the USSR either. Caballe performed the legendary role in Moscow.

The singer's repertoire includes more than 130 opera roles, more than 40 full-length operas. The song “Exercises in Free Love” was written in her honor, performed by rock musician Freddie Mercury. And in 1992 the Olympics took place in Barcelona. So, Caballe, together with Freddie, sang the song “Barcelona”, which later became a hit.

The singer was constantly among the performers on the pop charts. Caballe even performs with our Nikolai Baskov. They met in St. Petersburg. Caballe teaches Baskov to sing, and first of all, to breathe correctly, because in opera this is very important. She did not take money from Baskov for the lessons that took place at her own home.

Montserrat Caballe and Freddie Mercury. Barcelona

She simply enjoyed the process itself. She passed on her skills. She prophesied a great future for Nikolai. And she even joked, saying: “My dogs didn’t like any of the singers who came to me, they had never sung along with anyone like that before.”

Personal life of Montserrat Caballe

The husband of the legendary singer is Bernaba Marti.

Imagine, the legendary singer in real life completely different. She is characterized by lateness and lack of composure. She was even late for her wedding. The singer has two beautiful children. Caballe is happy in family life and lyrically talks about her: “I’m happy that fate allowed me to make a career. But first of all, I am proud that I created a wonderful family, and I have two wonderful children. IN parental home, watching the relationship between mom and dad, I realized that equality in family relationships. It has been our custom since my childhood that no one dominates anyone.

And my husband and I are trying to raise our children in the same way. Each child and person has his own individuality, his own character, which must be respected. And I can proudly say that our family is harmonious. I have always tried to make sure that my children do not suffer because their mother is a celebrity. After all, in the end, music is just my job. And, besides music, I, of course, have other interests and responsibilities. And this is, first of all, my family. I hope that I am still more needed for my family and friends than for art. And when the moment comes that I won’t sing anymore, I don’t want to be pitied. I'll still be happy. Life itself is beautiful, the main thing is not to spoil it with your own mistakes.”

Caballe is an excellent driver, loves swimming, and enjoys painting. Since childhood, I have had a craving for delicious food. She loved the baked goods her mother made. Apparently, this is inherited; Montserrat often spoils her family with a variety of pies.

Somehow she had concerts planned. All tickets were already sold by the organizers in advance. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, when suddenly Caballe learned that her son was ill. Without hesitation, she flies to Spain to visit her son. For a long time, the theater sued Montserrat, but ultimately lost. The son recovered, of course. In Caballe's life, family comes first.

Awards

Of course, Montserrat Caballe has public recognition. She was awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic, the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the Order of Arts and Letters in France, and in Ukraine, Caballe was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, 1st degree. Montserrat Caballe has honorary title Kammersänger" of the Vienna State Opera.

Montserrat Caballe is the most famous Spanish opera singer, the greatest soprano of our time. Today even people far from opera know her name. The widest range of her voice, unsurpassed skill and bright temperament of the diva conquered the main stages of the leading theaters on the planet. She is a winner of various awards. He is an Ambassador for Peace and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Childhood and youth

On April 12, 1933, a girl was born in Barcelona, ​​who was given the name Montserrat Caballe. You can hardly pronounce her full name without practice - Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe y Folk. Her parents named her in honor of the sacred mountain of St. Mary of Montserrat.

In the future, she was destined to become the greatest opera singer, who was given the unofficial status of “Unsurpassed”. The baby was born into a poor family of a chemical plant worker and a housekeeper. The mother of the future singer was forced to earn extra money wherever she had to. Since childhood, Montserrat has been partial to music; she spent hours listening to opera arias on records. At the age of 12, the girl entered the Barcelona Lyceum, where she studied until her 24th birthday.

Since money was poor in the family, Montserrat helped her parents, working first in a weaving factory, then in a store and in a sewing workshop. In parallel with receiving an education and earning additional income, the girl took French and Italian lessons.

She studied for 4 years at the Liceo Conservatory in the class of Eugenia Kemmeni. A Hungarian by nationality, a former champion swimmer, singer, Kemmeni developed her own breathing system, the basis of which was strengthening the muscles of the torso and diaphragm. Until now, Montserrat uses her teacher’s breathing exercises and her chants.

Music

Having received the highest score in her final exams, the girl begins her professional career. The patronage of the famous philanthropist Beltran Mata helped the young girl get into the troupe of the Basel Opera House. Young Montserrat made her debut performing the title role in the opera La Bohème.

The young artist began to be invited to opera groups in other European cities: Milan, Vienna, Lisbon, and her native Barcelona. Montserrat masters the musical language of romantic, classical and baroque operas. But she is especially successful in parts from works by Bellini and Donizetti, in which all the power and beauty of her voice is revealed.

Montserrat Caballe - "Ave Maria"

By 1965, the Spanish singer was already known outside her homeland, but world success came to her after performing the role in the American opera Carnegie Hall, when Montserrat Caballe had to replace another star of the classical stage, Marilyn Horne.

After the performance, the audience did not let the main character of the evening leave the stage for about half an hour. It is noteworthy that just this year the solo career of the opera diva ended. Thus, the predecessor, as it were, handed over the palm to Montserrat Caballe as the best soprano in the world.

The next peak in the singer’s creative biography was her role in Bellini’s opera Norma. This part appeared in the Montserrat repertoire in 1970. The premiere of the play took place at the La Scala theater, and four years later the Italian ensemble came on tour to Moscow. For the first time, Soviet listeners could enjoy the sound of the voice of the talented Spaniard, who shone so much in the aria “Norma”. In addition, the singer performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in leading roles in the operas Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Othello, Louise Miller, and Aida.

During her career, Montserrat Caballe managed to collaborate with orchestras of such star conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, James Levine. Her stage partners were the best tenors in the world:, and. Montserrat was friends with Marilyn Horne.

In addition to the leading opera stages of the world, the Spaniard performed in the Great Hall of Columns of the Kremlin, the White House in the USA, in the UN Auditorium and even in the Hall of the People, which is located in the capital of the People's Republic of China. Throughout her creative life, the great artist sang in more than 120 operas, and hundreds of discs were released with her participation. In 1976, at the 18th Grammy Awards, Caballe was awarded the award for performing best classical vocal solo.

Montserrat Caballe is fascinated not only by the art of opera. She tries herself in other projects. For the first time, the opera diva performed with a rock star, the leader of a musical group, in the late 80s. Together they recorded songs for the album “Barcelona”.

Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona

The composition of the same name was performed by the famous duet on Olympic Games 1992, which took place in Catalonia. The hit broke all world chart records and became the anthem not only of the Olympics, but also of the entire autonomous community of Spain.

In the late 90s, Montserrat Caballe recorded with the rock band Gotthard from Switzerland, and also gave a joint performance with an Italian pop singer in Milan. In addition, the singer is experimenting with electronic music: the woman is recording compositions with the Greek author Vangelis, who is one of the creators of the new New Age style.

Montserrat Caballe and Nikolai Baskov

Among fans of the opera singer, the ballad song “Hijodelaluna” (“Child of the Moon”), which was first performed by the group from Spain “Mecano,” gained considerable popularity. Montserrat at one time celebrated the Russian performer. She recognized a great singer in the young tenor and offered him vocal lessons. Subsequently, Montserrat and Basque sang together a duet from the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” and the famous opera “Ave Maria”.

Personal life

At 31, Montserrat Caballe married her colleague, opera baritone Bernabe Marti. They met when Marty was asked to replace a sick performer in Madama Butterfly. There is a kiss scene in this opera. And then Marty kissed Montserrat so sensually and passionately that the woman almost fainted right on stage. The singer no longer hoped to meet love and get married.

After the wedding, she and her husband sang on the same stage more than once. But after a few years, Marty decided to leave the stage. Some said that he was diagnosed with heart problems, others said that, finding himself in the shadow of Caballe’s popularity, he decided to devote himself to his family. One way or another, the loving spouses maintained their marriage throughout their lives. Soon after the wedding, Montserrat gave her beloved two children: a son, Bernabe, and a daughter, Montserrat.

The girl decided to connect her life with singing, like her parents. Today she is one of the best vocalists in Spain. In the late 90s, mother and daughter performed in the joint program “Two Voices, One Heart,” which opened the next opera season in Europe.

Montserrat Caballe with her daughter

The happiness of Caballe and Marty was not hindered either by the popularity of Montserrat or by her excess weight, which began to rapidly increase after car accident. She got into a car accident when she was young; after a head injury, the receptors in her brain that are responsible for lipid metabolism were switched off. In an interview, the opera diva explained this as follows: when she drinks a glass of water, her body reacts to it as if she had eaten a piece of pie.

With a height of 161 cm, Montserrat Caballe began to weigh more than 100 kg; over time, her figure began to look disproportionate, but the brilliant singer managed to hide this flaw with the help of a special cut of clothes. In addition, Montserrat tries to adhere to specific diets, and from time to time she manages to lose extra pounds. The woman has long given up alcohol; for the most part, her diet consists of fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains.

Montserrat Caballe and Katerina Osadchaya

The singer had more serious problems than being overweight. Back in 1992, at a concert in New York, she became ill, she was hospitalized, and doctors gave Montserrat a disappointing diagnosis - cancer. They insisted on an urgent operation, but her friend Luciano Pavarotti advised not to rush, but to contact the Swiss doctor who treated his daughter.

In the end, surgery was not needed. After some time, Caballe felt better, but decided to limit herself to solo concert activities, since she was very worried and worried on the opera stage, and the doctors advised her to avoid stress.

Montserrat Caballe with family

On the eve of the new year 2016, a scandal erupted around the name of the singer Montserrat Caballe. The Spanish tax authorities have accused the opera diva of concealing part of her taxes since 2010. For this purpose, Caballe has been indicating the state of Andorra as her place of residence for several years.

For non-payment of taxes, the court sentenced the 82-year-old vocalist to 6 months and a fine. But this measure was applied conditionally in connection with Montserrat disease. At the age of 80, the singer suffered a stroke, which greatly undermined her health.

By the beginning of 2017, the conflict between the authorities and Caballe had already been resolved.

Montserrat Caballe now

In 2018, the opera diva celebrated her 85th birthday. Despite her age, she continues to perform. In June, the singer came to Moscow to give a concert at the Kremlin Palace. And the day before I came to visit the “Evening Urgant” program, where I talked about the upcoming performance.

The concert turned out to be a family affair; Montserrat's daughter Marti and granddaughter Daniela came along with her. Of the 16 numbers, the opera singer performed only 7. The prima spent the entire concert in a wheelchair. Lately, Caballe has had problems with her legs and has difficulty walking.

On October 6, 2018, it became known about the singer. She passed away in Barcelona, ​​in a hospital where she had been due to bladder problems.

Parties

• The role of Mimi in the opera La bohème by D. Puccini
• The role of Lucrezia Borgia in the opera of the same name by G. Donizetti
• The part of Norma in the opera of the same name by V. Bellini
• Pamina's part in The Magic Flute by W. Mozart
• Marina's role in "Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky
• Tatiana's role in P. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
• The role of Manon in the opera of the same name by J. Massenet
• Part of Turandot in the opera of the same name by D. Puccini
• Isolde's part in R. Wagner's Tristan and Isolde
• Ariadne's part in "Ariadne auf Naxos" by R. Strauss
• Part of Salome in the opera of the same name by R. Strauss
• The role of Tosca in the opera of the same name by G. Puccini

(full name - Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch, cat. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepcion Caballe i Folch) was born in Barcelona on April 12, 1933.

Name future singer was given in honor of the local sacred mountain, where there is a monastery named after Our Lady, whom the Catalans call Saint Mary of Montserrat.

In 1954, Montserrat Caballe graduated with honors from the Philharmonic Dramatic Lyceum of Barcelona. During her studies, she helped a family that was in a difficult financial situation and worked as a saleswoman, cutter, seamstress, while simultaneously studying English and French.

Thanks to the patronage of the Beltran family of philanthropists, Mata Monserrat was able to pay for her studies at the Barcelona Lyceum, and then this family recommended the singer to go to Italy, paying her all expenses.

In Italy, Montserrat Caballe was accepted into the Maggio Fiorentino theater (Florence).

Montserrat Caballe organizes projects for young vocalists: conducts his own vocal competition, patronizes the project "Voices of Montserrat Caballe".

The singer is actively involved in charity work. She is an Honorary UN Ambassador and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Established a fund to help sick children under the auspices of UNESCO.

Montserrat Caballe celebrated her 60th birthday with a concert in Paris, the entire proceeds of which went to the World AIDS Research Fund.

In 2000, she took part in a Moscow charity concert as part of international program"Stars of the World for Children", organized to help gifted disabled children. She gave charity concerts in support of the Dalai Lama, as well as Jose Carreras, when he began to have health problems.

The singer has won many prestigious international awards. She was awarded orders and medals various countries, including the Spanish Order of Isabel, the French Order of the Commander of Arts and Letters, Golden medal Academy of Literature, Science and Art of Italy.

Montserrat Caballe is married to opera singer Bernabe Marty. They have two children: a son, Bernabe Marti, and a daughter, Montserrat Marti, who also became an opera singer.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources