José Carreras will perform at the ESMO Foundation Benefit Concert, 10 October 2010, during the 35th ESMO Congress

JOSÉ CARRERAS RETURNS TO LA SCALA

AFTER AN ABSENCE OF 14 YEARS

“CANCER HAS TAUGHT ME TO LISTEN TO OTHERS”

The Catalan artist: “My illness has changed me. Sick people must continue to hope

Milan, 19 July 2010 – “You can return to live as you did before. Before the tumour, before the illness. With the same determination and the same energy”. This testimony comes from an illustrious ex-patient, José Carreras, one of the greatest tenors of all time, who will appear on the stage of La Scala on 10 October, after a 14- year absence, in the ESMO Benefit Concert, during the 35th ESMO Congress to raise funds for the fight against cancer. “In 1987, the tenor explains, I was attacked by leukaemia. I spent 11 months in hospital and had a marrow transplant. People who survive cancer change, they become more mature, their priorities change. I've become more ready to listen to others, more able to talk to people and communicate. And you can see this change when I perform because the artist and the man cannot be separated. The message I want to transmit to others who are fighting against cancer is to hold on to those you love and your friends because even the smallest glimmer of hope can help you to fight with more determination. Cancer leaves deep wounds but you can win”. José Carreras is returning to sing in one of the most important opera theatres in the world, important for its musical tradition and the knowledge of its enthusiastic audience. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity for an artist”, continues the Catalan tenor. And this is also an extraordinary opportunity to be part of this great event and offer concrete support to the noble cause of the fight against cancer.