Spanish bariton Carlos Alvarez was born in Malaga. He completed his musical studies at the Conservatory of his home city, as he studied Medicine. His encounter with Alfonso Leoz in 1990 would be the beginning of his international career. It is then that Alfonso García Leoz becomes his manager and the tutor of his voice and singing career.

Since his debut at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in La del Manojo de Rosas in 1990, his carrer has become a continuous ascent until he sings in the world’s most renown theatres, such as Vienna’s Staatsoper, where he has been a guest for the last eleven consecutive seasons under the batons of Mutti, Ozawa, Viotti, Fabio Luisi, among others, and has been invited through the year 2013. The Viennese critics regard him as a singer possessing an extraordinary technique, capable of singing Figaro of Le Nozze di Figaro and Figaro of Il Barbiere di Siviglia the same season (2002), the same month. Carlos Alvarez has also sung eleven straight seasons at the Liceo de Barcelona (he is already engaged through the 2012 season), or at NewYok’s Met where he has already sung six seasons and will be Verdi bariton for the next five seasons.

Other outside performances are Salzburg Festival’s (1998 & 1999) Don Carlo under Lorin Maazel (international critics regarded him at that time as the best Rodrigo); London’s Sinphony Orchestra (1999), Otello under Sir Colin Davis; Amsterdam (1999), Pagliacci under Riccardo Chailly in concert with the Concertgebouw Orchestra; La Scala (1999), Don Giovanni under Ricardo Mutti; Covent Garden, Rigoletto (2003) under Benini; La Bastille of Paris, Don Carlo (2002), Otello (2004), Simone (2006) ; Madrid’s Teatro Real, where he has sung since its 1996 season; San Francisco, Chicago, Firenze, Arena of Verona (italian critics say : Carlos Alvarez senza dubbio il miglior Rigoletto della scena lirica attuale ... 2003). The biggest has been done in the last season at La Bastille in Paris with Otello and at the Met with Ballo in Maschera (2005). Salzburg with Otello under Ricardo Muti(2008).

Carlos Alvarez has received many important awards throughout his career, among which are I Mostra de Malaga for Young Performers (1990), Jacinto Guerrero Award (1991), Diario Sur Award (1994), Federico Romero Award (1995),City of Malaga Best Musical Performer Award (1995), Cultural Work Award (Government of Andalusia, Spain), Grammy Award (2001) for the best opera recorded; Canne’s Award at the same record Merlin, Spain’s National Fine Arts Gold Medal, Gold Medal for Artistic Achievements awarded by the Government of Andalusia (Spain), Award 2003 to the best 2002 Season bariton, chosen by Milan’s Opera magazine (voted by international readers and critics); National Musical Award 2003 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Son favorite from Málaga city, Gramy 2005 by Ford in Falstaff recorded under Maestro Colin Davis.

Recently he has honoured with the title of Kammersänger at the Staatsoper in Vienna (2007).