Bryn Terfel | |
|---|---|
 Terfel inStockholm, December 2013 | |
| Born | Bryn Terfel Jones (1965-11-09)9 November 1965 (age 59) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Education | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Occupation | Opera singer (bass-baritone) |
| Years active | 1984−present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
Sir Bryn Terfel Jones,CBE (Welsh pronunciation:[ˈbrɨnˈtɛrvɛl]; born 9 November 1965; known professionally asBryn Terfel), is a Welshbass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles ofMozart, particularlyFigaro,Leporello andDon Giovanni, and has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those byPuccini andWagner.[1]
Bryn Terfel Jones was born inPant Glas,Caernarfonshire, Wales, the son of a farmer. His first language isWelsh.[2] To avoid confusion with another Welsh baritone,Delme Bryn-Jones, he chose Bryn Terfel as his professional name. He had an interest in and talent for music from a very young age. A family friend taught him how to sing, starting with traditional Welsh songs.
After winning numerous competitions for his singing, he moved to London in 1984 and entered theGuildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied underRudolf Piernay. In 1988 he entered and won theMorriston Orpheus Choir Supporters' Association Young Welsh Singer of the Year Competition.[3] He graduated in 1989, winning both theKathleen Ferrier Memorial Award and theGold Medal. The same year he came second behindDmitri Hvorostovsky in theCardiff Singer of the World competition, but won theLieder Prize.[4]
In 1990 Terfel made his operatic debut as Guglielmo inCosì fan tutte[5] forWelsh National Opera, and later in the same season he sang the title role inThe Marriage of Figaro, a role with which he made his debut withEnglish National Opera in 1991.
His international operatic career began that same year when he sang the Speaker inMozart'sThe Magic Flute at theThéâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and he made his United States debut as Figaro at theSanta Fe Opera.
In 1992 Terfel made hisRoyal Opera House, Covent Garden debut as Masetto inDon Giovanni, withThomas Allen in the title role. That same year he made hisSalzburg Easter Festival debut singing the role of the Spirit Messenger inDie Frau ohne Schatten. This was followed by an international breakthrough at the main Salzburg Festival when he sang Jochanaan inStrauss'sSalome. He went on to make his debut as Figaro at theVienna State Opera.
On 19 June 1992 Terfel made his U.S. concert debut singing inMahler'sEighth Symphony with theChicago Symphony Orchestra at theRavinia Festival under the baton ofJames Levine. Also at the festival, on 22 June, he and Levine (at the piano) performedSchumann'sLiederkreis (op. 39) andSchubert'sSchwanengesang, and on 27 June he was Abimélech inSaint-Saëns'sSamson and Delilah (withPlácido Domingo andDenyce Graves in the title roles), also with the CSO under Levine. In January and February 1993, Terfel sang the role of Donner inWagner'sDas Rheingold atLyric Opera of Chicago;Zubin Mehta conducted.
Also in 1992, he signed an exclusiverecording contract withDeutsche Grammophon, and returned to the Welsh National Opera to sing Ford inFalstaff. In 1993, he recorded the role of Wilfred Shadbolt inThe Yeomen of the Guard, byGilbert and Sullivan and sang Figaro to acclaim at theThéâtre du Châtelet in Paris.[6]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Terfel may be heard as Jochanaan, inRichard Strauss' operaSalome, Op. 54, with theVienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byChristoph von Dohnányi, and withCatherine Malfitano, in 1995Here on archive.org |
In 1994 Terfel sang Figaro at Covent Garden, and made both hisMetropolitan Opera andTeatro Nacional de São Carlos debuts in the same role. However, back surgery in 1994 (and again in 2000) prevented him from performing in several scheduled events.
In 1996 he expanded his repertoire to include moreWagner, singing Wolfram inTannhäuser at the Metropolitan Opera, andStravinsky, singing Nick Shadow inThe Rake's Progress at the Welsh National Opera. These performances won him theRoyal Philharmonic Society Award for the singer of the year.
In 1997 Terfel made hisLa Scala debut as Figaro. In 1998, he had a recital atCarnegie Hall which included works byWolf,Fauré,Brahms,Schumann,Schubert, and others. In 1999, he performed in Paris the title role ofDon Giovanni for the first time and sang his firstFalstaff at theLyric Opera of Chicago; the latter of which he reprised in the inaugural production at the newly refurbished Royal Opera House.
In 1999 Terfel performed theRugby World Cup anthem "World in Union" withShirley Bassey at theMillennium Stadium before the1999 Rugby World Cup Final.
In 2000 Terfel said that he would like to record "an album ofGilbert and Sullivan arias".[7][8]
In 2003, Terfel hosted and performed on the stage with opera tenorJosé Carreras and sopranoHayley Westenra in front of the capacity crowd of 10,000 people at theFaenol Festival in Wales.[9][10]
In 2007 Terfel performed at the opening gala concert for the re-dedication of theSalt Lake Tabernacle with theMormon Tabernacle Choir on 6–7 April. Later, he performed the title role in a concert version ofSweeney Todd that had four performances from 5–7 July at London'sRoyal Festival Hall. This idea came from Terfel and his fellow bass-baritone and friend, the Irishman Dermot Malone.[11]
Terfel has not shied away from popular music either. He has recorded CDs of songs byLerner and Loewe andRodgers and Hammerstein. In 2001 he commissioned and performed 'Atgof o'r Sêr' ('Memory of the Stars') in the National Eisteddfod with the composer Robat Arwyn.
In September 2007 Terfel withdrew, to severe criticism, from Covent Garden'sDer Ring des Nibelungen when his six-year-old son required several operations on his finger. But he successfully returned to the Met in November 2007 to sing the role of Figaro. He told reporters in New York City that he would retire Figaro from his repertoire. But he sang the role ofWotan in Covent Garden's revival ofDer Ring in September to November 2012.
Terfel intended to take 2008 as a sabbatical from opera performances, but broke this to take the title role in WNO's revival ofFalstaff. He had sung in this production in 1993, when he played the role of Ford.[12] In 2009 Terfel sangScarpia andthe Dutchman for the Royal Opera House.[13][14]
In 2010, Terfel made his debut asHans Sachs in Wagner'sDie Meistersinger in a production forWelsh National Opera, in Cardiff and on tour.
On 17 July 2010, the cast of this production gave a "concert staging" at theRoyal Albert Hall as part of the 2010BBC Proms, which was broadcast onBBC Radio 3 and onBBC Four television.[15] On 31 July, again at the Proms, he performed in a concert from the Royal Albert Hall celebrating the works ofStephen Sondheim, in his 80th birthday year.[16]
Terfel took on the role of Wotan for the premiere performances ofRobert Lepage's new Met staging of Wagner'sDer Ring 2010–12. He sang the role in all three of the fourDer Ring operas that feature Wotan:Das Rheingold,Die Walküre andSiegfried.[17]
In September 2013 Terfel collaborated withMormon Tabernacle Choir released the albumHomeward Bound[18] which reached No. 58 Official UK Charts.
In September 2014 Terfel reprised his role asSweeney Todd in the Live from Lincoln Center concert production ofSweeney Todd, which was broadcast onPBS. This production also starredEmma Thompson asMrs Lovett,Philip Quast asJudge Turpin, andAudra McDonald asThe Beggar Woman.[19] Terfel, Thompson, and Quest reprised their roles in 2015 with theEnglish National Opera oppositeJohn Owen-Jones andKatie Hall as Pirelli and Johanna at theLondon Coliseum.[20]
In 2016 Terfel took the title role in Mussorgsky'sBoris Godunov, directed byAntonio Pappano at theRoyal Opera House.[21][22]
On 6 May 2023 Terfel performed a setting in Welsh, byPaul Mealor, ofKyrie eleison at theCoronation of Charles III and Camilla inWestminster Abbey. This was the first time Welsh had been sung at a coronation service.[23][24][25] On 7 May he sang "You'll Never Walk Alone", in a duet withAndrea Bocelli, at theCoronation Concert atWindsor Castle.[26]
In February 2024 Terfel released a new album,Sea Songs, onDeutsche Grammophon.
In 2025 Terfel was one of the coaches inY Llais, a Welsh-language version ofThe Voice UK.[27]
Terfel was married to his childhood sweetheart, Lesley, in 1987 until their divorce in 2013.[28][29] The couple have three sons.[30]
In 2017 he and harpistHannah Stone had a daughter.[31] The couple married on 26 July 2019 at Caersalem Newydd Baptist Church in the bride's home city of Swansea.[32]
Terfel was a leading petitioner in the creation ofBontnewydd railway station on the rebuiltWelsh Highland Railway, and in part sponsored its construction.[33]
Terfel continues to be a patron of the Welsh language and Welsh culture, facets of his life which are largely unknown outside his native Wales. Terfel has been awarded the honour, by theNational Eisteddfod, of membership of theGorsedd of Bards. The Gorsedd was created in 1792 as a celebration of Welsh heritage, and inductees are considered to have contributed to Welsh culture.
In 2006 theHamburg-basedAlfred Toepfer Foundation awarded Terfel its annualShakespeare Prize in recognition of his life's work.
Terfel wasknighted in the2017 New Year Honours for services to music.[39]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Classic Brit Awards | Male Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2004 | Won | ||
| Album of the Year (Bryn) | Won | ||
| 2005 | Male Artist of the Year | Won | |
| 2007 | Singer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Critic's Choice | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Album of the Year (Carols & Christmas Songs) | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Grammy Awards | Best Opera Recording (Metropolitan Opera's recording ofRichard Wagner'sDer Ring des Nibelungen)[40] | Won |
Terfel is also president of the Welsh homelessness charityShelter Cymru and is patron of Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales, a registered charity based in Cardiff which provides specialistBobath therapy to children from all over Wales who havecerebral palsy.
Terfel is a vice president of theDunvant Male Choir in Swansea, the oldest continuously singing Welsh choir, dating from 1895.[41][42] The choir sang at Terfel's wedding in 2019.[43]
In 2000 Terfel founded the Faenol Festival (known inWelsh as "Gŵyl y Faenol"), at theFaenol Estate nearSnowdonia, Wales. Billed as "Bryn Terfel'sFaenol Festival" (often referred to as "BrynFest") turned into an annual music festival featuring internationally famous opera singers as well as popular Welsh artists. In the same year he releasedWe'll Keep a Welcome – The Welsh Album, an anthology of favourite traditional songs. The festival had been voted a £250,000 grant by theWelsh Assembly, but did not take place in 2009 or 2010 and ended as of 2010.[44] Subsequently, the 2012 Faenol Festival took place in London.[45][46]
Terfel has performed the following roles on stage:[47]
| Composer | Opera | Role | In repertoire | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britten | Peter Grimes | Balstrode | 1995 | No |
| Canepa | Riccardo III | Riccardo III | 2018 | |
| Donizetti | L'elisir d'amore | Dulcamara | 2001 | Yes (DVD) |
| Donizetti | Don Pasquale | Don Pasquale | 2019 | |
| Gounod | Faust | Mephistopheles | 2004 | Yes (DVD) |
| Mozart | Così fan tutte | Guglielmo | 1991 | No |
| Mozart | Don Giovanni | Masetto | 1992 | Yes |
| Mozart | Don Giovanni | Leporello | 1991–present | Yes |
| Mozart | Don Giovanni | Don Giovanni | 1999–present | Yes (DVD) |
| Mozart | Die Zauberflöte | Speaker | 1991 | No |
| Mozart | Le nozze di Figaro | Figaro | 1991–2007 | Yes (DVD) |
| Mussorgsky | Boris Godunov | Boris Godunov | 2016 | |
| Offenbach | Les contes d'Hoffmann | Four Villains | 2000 | Yes (DVD) |
| Puccini | Gianni Schicchi | Gianni Schicchi | 2007 | No |
| Puccini | Tosca | Scarpia | Yes | |
| Puccini | Madama Butterfly | Sharpless | 1996 | No |
| R. Strauss | Die Frau ohne Schatten | Der Geisterbote | 1992 | Yes |
| R. Strauss | Salome | Jochanaan | 1993 | Yes |
| Sondheim | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd | 2002–present | Yes:Live From Lincoln Center |
| Stravinsky | The Rake's Progress | Nick Shadow | 1996–2000 | Yes |
| Stravinsky | Oedipus Rex | Creon | 1992 | Yes |
| Verdi | Falstaff | Falstaff | 1999–present | Yes |
| Verdi | Falstaff | Ford | 1993 | Yes |
| Wagner | Das Rheingold | Donner | 1993 | No |
| Wagner | Das Rheingold | Wotan | 2005–present | Yes (DVD and Blu-ray) |
| Wagner | Die Walküre | Wotan | 2005–present | Yes (DVD and Blu-ray) |
| Wagner | Siegfried | The Wanderer | 2011–present | Yes (DVD and Blu-ray) |
| Wagner | Tannhäuser | Wolfram | 1998 | No |
| Wagner | Der fliegende Holländer | Holländer | 2006–present | Yes (DVD and Blu-ray) |
| Wagner | Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg | Hans Sachs | 2010 | Concert staging ofWelsh National Opera production broadcast byBBC Radio 3 andBBC Four television as part ofBBC Proms |
