Who is Bryn Terfel? Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer – here’s what we know
HE’S one of the most sought-after international voices in the opera world.
Bryn Terfel is a frequent singer at all major opera company concerts and has sung in most of the famous opera halls around the world.
Bryn has been announced as part of the Queen's New Year's Honours list for his services to music, but who is he? Here’s what we know.
Who is Bryn Terfel?
He was born Bryn Terfel Jones in November 1965 in Pant Glas, Caernarfonshire, North Wales, the son of a farmer.
He developed a love for music from a young age after a friend taught him to sing traditional Welsh songs.
After winning several singing competitions, he moved to London in 1984 and started studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
How did he become an opera star?
He made his debut with the Welsh National Opera in 1990 and his debut with the English National Opera in The Marriage of Fiagro in 1991.
He started his international career that same year when he sang at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels, and again as Figaro at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico.
In 1992 he made his debut at the Royal Opera House in London in a production of Don Giovanni before going on to sing at the Salzburg Festival and at the Vienna State Opera.
When did he release his first record?
In 1991 he signed a contract with German classical record label Deutsche Grammophon and was a guest on an opera compilation album that was released that year.
He released his first solo album Something Wonderful in 1996 which was followed with We’ll Keep A Welcome in 2000, an album of traditional Welsh hymns and folk songs.
His last album, Homeward Bound, was in 2013 and in 2016 he appeared alongside other Welsh opera singers including Katherine Jenkins on Cantata Memoria, which was recorded to mark the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.
Does Bryn he have any awards or honours?
Terfel has been awarded Gorsedd of Bards, created in 1792 as a celebration of Welsh heritage.
He was awarded a CBE by Prince Charles, the Queen’s Medal for Music, and three honorary degrees from Jesus College, Oxford, Bangor University and the Royal College of Music.
He also has four Classical Brit Awards and a Grammy.
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