At 65, Domingo's passion for opera runs as deep as at career's start

Published: 2006-06-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- At 65, opera singer and director Placido Domingo still has a deep passion for his craft and a strong desire to promote young talent. Anyone who wants an opera career has to "accept it with total seriousness because it is a very difficult life; moreover, once you embrace it you won't want to change it for anything in the world," he told El Pregonero, the Spanish-language weekly of the Washington Archdiocese. "My God! We have a fantastic type of work because we give joy to people. It's a privilege to make people happy and to get paid for it besides," Domingo said during an informal interview in the cafeteria of Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Since 1996 the Spanish-born Domingo has been general director of the Washington National Opera, which performs at the Kennedy Center. He also continues performing in operas and giving concerts around the world with little hint that age is coaxing him into retirement, even when his singing career comes to an end. "You can't say, 'Now I'm going to relax.' No, it's impossible. You must always work hard," he said. "This helps you maintain the level you need if you want to perform in public."

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