José Cura was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, on December 5, 1962. His musical career began with guitar lessons. At the age of 15 he debuted as a choral conductor, and at 16 he began studying composition and piano. He entered the School of Arts of the National University of Rosario in 1982 where he was to focus on conducting and composition, and succeeded in obtaining the post as assistant to the choir master of the National University of the Rosario Choir a year later. In 1985, at the age of 23, he was granted a scholarship for studies at the Music School of the Teatro Colón, where he eventually also sang with the theater choir. Still his main occupation was composing and conducting.

In 1988, under the influence of Maestro Horacio Amauri, Cura was persuaded into commencing vocal studies, and in 1991 he abandoned his native Argentina for Italy in search of a career as an operatic singer. He first settled in Verona and prepared for his operatic debut there, receiving advice from a local tenor, Vittorio Terranova, on the style and temper of Italian opera.

He made his stage debut in February 1992, in Verona, in Henze's Pollicino, followed by minor roles in Carmen and Simon Boccanegra in Genova. A more significant role came with his interpretation of Jan in Bibalos Fräulein Julie in March 1993 in Trieste. In December that same year he came to special attention in Torino in Janácek’s Makropulos Case, where he was Albert Gregor under the direction of Pinchas Steinberg. Shortly after, in January 1994, he was entrustred the role of Ismaele in Verdi's Nabucco in Genova opposite Leo Nucci and Ghena Dimitrova, and performed as Alvaro in La Forza del destino in Torino February 1994. His Italian debut seasons were concluded spring 1994 with the world première of the third version of Giacomo Puccini’s La Rondine, where he sang Ruggero, and the summer staging of Le Villi, Puccini's first, rarely performed, opera.

After winning the International Operalia competition, led by Plácido Domingo, in September 1994, Cura made his US debut shortly after as Loris in Giordano's Fedora, opposite Mirella Freni at the opera of Chicago. In January 1995 he revisited Italy for Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini in Palermo and Fedora in Trieste and in June 1995 he made his London début singing the title role in Stiffelio at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. July saw him in his first Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago and in September the same year he made his debut at the Opéra Bastille, singing Ismaele in a new production of Nabucco. Fedora in London concluded the year. In January 1996 he made his Roma début in Mascagni’s very rarely performed Iris, as well as Samson at Covent Garden. During the winter of 1996 he also made his début in Los Angeles and San Francisco, adding two new roles to his repertory: Pollione in Norma and Don José in Carmen.

Cura's reputation and acclaim was now rapidly growing. He made a significant appearance at the Ravenna Festival as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana with Riccardo Muti conducting, and broadcast by Italian television in December 1996, to be followed by a spectacular Eurovision live broadcast days later of his début at Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw as Canio in Pagliacci, under Riccardo Chailly.

Finally his Milano début came in 1997 as Enzo in Ponchiello's La Gioconda and in May 1997 he appeared in Berlin under Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker in the demanding role of Verdi's Otello, after which he was headlined "A new Otello is born" by a raving La Nazione.

He was awarded with the Italian Music Critic's Abbiati Award in June 1997 in the category of male singer for his performances in Iris (Mascagni) in Roma, Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) in Ravenna, and Il Corsaro (Verdi) in Torino. He performed a widely acclaimed Rhadames (Aida) in Tokyo early 1998 and in April he repeated the success at the official re-opening of the legendary Teatro Massimo di Palermo.

Further appearences in 1998 included Andrea Chenier in London and Zurich, Don Carlo (Yokohama), Fedora (Tokyo, Zurich), followed by a series of performances of Otello throughout 1999 in Buenos Aires, London, München, Madrid and Palermo. Finally, in September 1999, he débuted at the Met as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana.

During the course of 1997, Warner Music Group signed him for an exclusive recording deal under its label Erato, and launched the higlhy successful Puccini Arias, where Plácido Domingo held the baton. Subsequently, Cura was dubbed "The New Domingo," and hailed as the "fourth" great tenor, succeeding the well-known "Three." Cura has added further five more recordings on Erato, his collection of Argentinean songs in June 1998, Anhelo, the complete Samson et Delila (Saint-Sanes) in November 1998, the televised La Traviata, his Verismo arias in August 1999, where the conducting this time was performed by Cura himself as well as his Verdi Arias released approximately one year later, yet again conducted by Cura. The autumn of 2000 he appeared under Decca as Canio in Chailly's recording of Pagliacci with the Concertgebouw, opposite baritone Carlos Alvarez and soprano Barbara Frittoli.

More recent engagments count Otello in Paris (March-June 2001), London (April-May 2001), Nice (June 2001) and Trieste (August 2001), interupted by Aida in Athens (12-20 May 2001) and Don Carlo in Zürich 10 and 12 July 2001.

For Cura's currennt schedule, check operabase.com