Fl‹rez was born in Lima, Peru in 1973 and won a scholarship to Philadelphia's Curtis Institute. He made his debut as a late substitute in Rossini's Matilde di Shabran at the 1996 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro; his resounding success there was followed by a debut at La Scala and, in 2002, his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Now considered the opera world's most in-demand Rossini tenor, Fl‹rez will sing Count Almaviva in the Met's new production of Rossini's Barber of Seville next month.

He made his New York recital debut at Lincoln Center in January 2004, to wide acclaim.

Other engagements scheduled through 2013 will take Fl‹rez to La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro Real in Madrid and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Fl‹rez is an exclusive Decca recording artist and has recently released recordings of bel canto and Latin American repertoire, among others.