Opera singer José Carreras is collecting donations for his leukemia foundation for the 30th time with a television gala. The charity show from Leipzig will be broadcast live on MDR on December 12 (8.15 pm), as the foundation announced on Tuesday. Presenters Stephanie Müller-Spirra and Sven Lorig will once again host the evening alongside 77-year-old Carreras. The stars supporting the fundraiser will be announced in the fall.
"I would never have dreamed that one day I would be able to invite people to this big anniversary gala. Many thanks to our supporters who are making this possible," Carreras was quoted as saying in the press release.
José Carreras himself was diagnosed with leukemia in 1987. A few years after his recovery, he set up his foundation, which has been supporting scientific research, infrastructure and social projects ever since. According to the organizers, more than 245 million euros have been raised for the fight against leukaemia in just under three decades.
