Carlos Almenar Otero

José Carlos Almenar Otero (March 21, 1926 – August 7, 2018) was a Venezuelan singer and songwriter.^[1] During his career, he recorded more than 20 albums in four different languages: German, Italian, English, and Spanish.^[2] Besides, during the 50's and 60's he made concert tours in more than 15 countries including: Russia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Egypt, England, Spain, Israel, Lebanon, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark.

Biography

Carlos José Almenar Otero was born on 21 March 1926 in Caracas, the second of five children. The life of this Venezuelan singer is divided between before and after winning The Great Caruso competition, organized by the Metro Goldwyn Mayer to promote a film of the same name starred by legendary tenor Mario Lanza. After this success, Almenar Otero went to study singing opera in Italy and Germany, where he lived for 20 years and signed a contract with Polydor Records label which allowed him to record more than 56 albums.

Furthermore, the first challenge he faced was learning Italian tenors to practice and get good operatic singing performances in the Conservatoire Giuseppe Verdi. Particularly, he trained with tenor Nino Piccaluga and then on recommendation from Mairon Carly, who was director of the MGM in Venezuela, studied German to advanced level and was accepted to record with the Polydor label.

Nevertheless, his short and thin stature represented a serious obstacle to interpret the opera genre. As a result, on several occasions he had to use platform shoes to share the stage with singers who were taller that him. "Sometimes the theater was exciting because I thought having a perfect piece to show off and said they had to retire because the female counterpart was a large and rather than her lover, I looked like her son!" Almenar Otero remembered.

His impeccable career artist allowed him to return to Venezuela as an established star, to engage in the production of radial space Bel Canto Ilustrado, while establishing his own school to educate the voices of young national talents and return to television with the popular program ¿Cuánto vale el show? (How much is this show worth?), aired by Venevisión, where he remained as part of the jury panel for 16 years.

In his constant dedication to achieve optimum vocal performance, the artist researched and expanded the physiological respiratory training method voice of his master Otto Iro, along with Berlin and Vienna together with Professor Paula Schreck. After decades of practice and study, he perfected his technique of breathing Superdinámica, improving voice quality, providing maximum oxygenation, pulmonary achieve dynamic, and optimize the functioning of the brain-cardiovascular system.

Afterwards, with the support of Sacven {Society of Authors and Composers of Venezuela) and Avinpro (Venezuelan Association of Interpreters and Producers), Almenar transmitted his knowledge in vocal education to a large group of speakers, teachers, actors and singers in his country.

Late in his life, Almenar moved to Miami, Florida, where he died in 2018 at the age of 92.^[3]

Discography

References