Jonas Kaufmann has been named ambassador for the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation.

In a press statement, José Carreras said, “Jonas Kaufmann is one of the most important singers of our time, and the fact that this highly-valued colleague supports me in our fight against leukemia is very important to me.

Kaufmann will join the foundation in a gala concert scheduled for  Dec. 14.

Jonas Kaufmann noted, “I admire José Carreras as an artist and as a human being, José Carreras is a true artist who never does things half way and he is a survivor who has surpassed his leukemia with incredible energy and subsequently founded this wonderful foundation.”

Kaufmann is currently in Australia where he is slated to perform three performances of Wagner’s “Parsifal” at the Sydney Opera alongside Michelle DeYoung. He returns to Europe for a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlos” with Sonya Yoncheva and Elina Garanca at the Opera National de Paris. The tenor is also slated to return to Carnegie Hall and Symphony Hall for Act two of Wagner’s ‘Tristan Und Isolde.”