Placido Domingo to receive lifetime award in Austria

Placido Domingo will make his first public appearance since recovering from coronavirus to accept a lifetime achievement award in Austria next week.

The famed tenor will receive the honour on August 6 in Salzburg by the organisation behind Austria’s Music Prize at an invitation-only ceremony. The award, chosen by a jury of journalists, recognises Domingo, 79, as “one of the best and most influential vocal actors in the world,” saying “he has set international standards at the highest level for decades.”

Domingo, who was treated for coronavirus in Mexico, will go on to perform this summer in Caserta, near Naples, and on August 22 at the Arena di Verona in northern Italy, where he will also sing in a concert August 28 and conduct on August 29.

Even before the virus closed opera houses throughout the United States, Domingo saw his US engagements cancelled following reports last summer detailing allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate sexually charged behaviour by more than 20 women. Domingo has denied the allegations, but issued an apology after the American Guild of Musical Artists and LA Opera deemed credible the sexual harassment allegations.

European venues, meanwhile, have stood behind him, with performances cancelled only due to closures forced by the coronavirus. Since European lockdowns have eased, classical music performances are gradually resuming and Domingo also has a full fall calendar, just months after recovering from the virus.