AboutBryn Terfel
Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel has captivated global audiences for over three decades with his powerful voice and sensitive artistry. With a repertoire spanning opera, sacred music, lieder, and musicals, he has achieved unparalleled stylistic versatility over the years. Adding to his many accolades is the invitation to sing at the Coronation Service for King Charles III on May 6, 2023, as well as at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle the following day. He was thus the only artist to participate in both events. During the service, Sir Bryn, together with the Westminster Abbey Choir, sang Paul Mealor's Coronation Kyrie, the first work ever performed in Welsh at a coronation. At the Coronation Concert, he then performed "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel alongside tenor Andrea Bocelli. In 2024, Bryn Terfel celebrates his 30th anniversary as an exclusive artist with Deutsche Grammophon.
Terfel was born in North Wales in 1965. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he gained international attention in 1989 when he won the Lieder Prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. The following year, he made his professional operatic debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Welsh National Opera. His career gained momentum in 1991 with notable early appearances as Mozart's Figaro at English National Opera and at Santa Fe Opera in the USA. His major breakthrough came in 1992 as the outstanding Jochanaan in Salome at the Salzburg Festival and with an equally impressive debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Masetto in Don Giovanni.
Since then, his operatic repertoire has steadily grown, now including the title roles in Boris Godunov, Der fliegende Holländer, Falstaff, and Gianni Schicchi; Wotan in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre; Méphistophélès in Faust; the four villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann; Balstrode in Peter Grimes; Wolfram in Tannhäuser; Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress; and Scarpia in Tosca. He has also made highly successful forays into the world of musical theater, shining in Sweeney Todd and Fiddler on the Roof, for example.
Sir Bryn is also at home on the concert stage, with highlights of his long, diverse career as a concert singer including the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre; the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall; a gala concert with Andrea Bocelli in New York's Central Park; and a Christmas concert streamed live from Brecon Cathedral as part of the Met Stars Live in Concert series.
In 1993, Terfel signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. In his first recording (for Archiv Produktion), he sang the title role in Le nozze di Figaro under John Eliot Gardiner. His first solo release for the yellow label was Schubert Lieder, recorded in 1994 with Malcolm Martineau, and the second, The Vagabond, was dedicated to the English song repertoire. These were followed by Opera Arias, Something Wonderful featuring hit songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and If Ever I Would Leave You, an album of Broadway songs.
His DG discography grew with diverse releases such as We’ll Keep a Welcome, Bryn Terfel Sings Favourites, Simple Gifts, Silent Noon, Tutto Mozart!, Bad Boys, and Homeward Bound. Terfel's opera recordings include a Ring Cycle (Metropolitan Opera production), Der fliegende Holländer (Zurich Opera House), and Don Giovanni (La Scala, Milan). Two releases from 2022 and 2023, respectively, feature live recordings from Verbier on the DG label Verbier Festival Gold: a 2011 recital with songs by Schubert, Schumann, Ibert, and Quilter, and a semi-staged performance of Falstaff from 2016.
His new album, Sea Songs, features shanties, sea songs, and maritime folk tunes from the coasts of Wales, England, Ireland, the Shetland Islands, and Brittany, and will be released in February 2024. In songs such as "Ar lan y môr," "The Green Willow Tree," "Drunken Sailor," and "The Wellerman," Terfel is joined by a host of guest artists, including Sting, Eve Goodman, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Hannah Stone, the Cornish-based Fisherman's Friends, and the traditional Welsh folk band Calan.
His engagements for the 2023–24 season include returns to the Vienna State Opera as Dulcamara in Donizetti's L’elisir d’amore, to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for the title role in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, and to the Zurich Opera House for Sondheim's Sweeney Todd; concerts at Sala São Paolo and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; and recitals at New York's Carnegie Hall and Washington's Kennedy Center.
Sir Bryn has received numerous Grammys, Classical Brit Awards, and Gramophone Awards. In 2003, he was appointed a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for his services to opera; in 2006, he was the second recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music; and in 2017, he was knighted for his services to music. In February 2022, the Vienna State Opera awarded him the Austrian professional title of Kammersänger. In keeping with his passionate commitment to music education and to the language and culture of his Welsh homeland, he recently launched a new foundation in partnership with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama: Cronfa Syr Bryn Terfel. It will offer scholarships and study grants; support projects and commissioned works that promote the Welsh language and culture; and host a new biennial international singing competition where students will perform at least one song in Welsh and one in their native language.
11/2023