Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...

'', but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Puccini and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

Biography

Bryn Terfel Jones was born in

Pant Glas Pant Glas ( Welsh for ''Green Hollow'' - in Welsh, as in other Celtic languages, "glas" may mean both 'green' and 'blue') is a hamlet on the A487 road in Gwynedd, Wales, in the community of Clynnog. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it is locat ...

Caernarfonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

, Wales, the son of a farmer. His first language is

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

. To avoid confusion with another Welsh baritone,

Delme Bryn-Jones Delme Bryn-Jones (born Delme Jones; 29 March 1934 – 25 May 2001) was a Welsh baritone. Biography Delme Bryn-Jones was one of five siblings, son of bootmaker William John Jones. He was born Delme Jones,in Brynamman, South Wales in 1934. He was ...

, 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 the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

where he studied under

Rudolf Piernay Rudolf Piernay (born 8 December 1943 in Berlin) is a German vocal teacher and university lecturer. Biography Piernay spent his childhood, youth, and first studied in Berlin, then began the study of singing, piano, song accompaniment and conduct ...

. In 1988 he entered and won the Morriston Orpheus Choir Supporters' Association Young Welsh Singer of the Year Competition. He graduated in 1989, winning both the

Kathleen Ferrier Kathleen Mary Ferrier, CBE (22 April 19128 October 1953) was an English contralto singer who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the cl ...

Memorial Award and the

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

. The same year he came second behind Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the

Cardiff Singer of the World BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983–2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for classical singers held every two years. The competition was started by BBC W ...

competition, but won the

Lieder In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

Prize.

Career

1990s

In 1990 Terfel made his operatic debut as Guglielmo in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...

'' for

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...

, and later in the same season he sang the title role in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premi ...

'', a role with which he made his debut with

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

in 1991. His international operatic career began that same year when he sang the Speaker in

's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'' at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and he made his United States debut as Figaro at the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...

. In 1992 Terfel made his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden debut as Masetto in ''

'', with Thomas Allen in the title role. That same year he made his Salzburg Easter Festival debut singing the role of the Spirit Messenger in '' Die Frau ohne Schatten''. This was followed by an international breakthrough at the main Salzburg Festival when he sang Jochanaan in Strauss's ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, a ...

''. He went on to make his debut as Figaro at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

. On 19 June 1992 Terfel made his U.S. concert debut singing in Mahler's Eighth Symphony with the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenu ...

at the

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is an outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September. The first orchestra to perform at Ravinia Festival was the New York Philharmonic unde ...

under the baton of James Levine. Also at the festival, on 22 June, he and Levine (at the piano) performed Schumann's ''Liederkreis'' (op. 39) and Schubert's '' Schwanengesang'', and on 27 June he was Abimélech in Saint-Saëns's '' Samson and Delilah'' (with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

and Denyce Graves in the title roles), also with the CSO under Levine. In January and February 1993, Terfel sang the role of Donner in

's ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...

'' at Lyric Opera of Chicago;

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

conducted. Also in 1992, he signed an exclusive

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, and returned to the Welsh National Opera to sing Ford in '' Falstaff''. In 1993, he recorded the role of Wilfred Shadbolt in '' The Yeomen of the Guard'', by

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

and sang Figaro to acclaim at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

in Paris. In 2000 Terfel said that he would like to record "an album of

arias". In 1994 Terfel sang Figaro at Covent Garden, and made both his

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

and Teatro 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 more

, singing Wolfram in ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...

'' at the Metropolitan Opera, and

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

, singing Nick Shadow in ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' at the Welsh National Opera. These performances won him the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

Award for the singer of the year. In 1997 Terfel made his

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

debut as Figaro. In 1998, he had a recital at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

which included works by

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, Fauré, Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, and others. In 1999, he performed in Paris the title role of ''

'' for the first time and sang his first '' Falstaff'' at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; the latter of which he reprised in the inaugural production at the newly refurbished Royal Opera House. In 1999 Terfel performed the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb ...

anthem "

World in Union "World in Union" is a theme song for the Rugby World Cup. Its melody is "Thaxted", from the middle section of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", a movement from Gustav Holst's '' The Planets'', and was originally adapted by Holst for its use in t ...

" with

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...

at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national r ...

before the

1999 Rugby World Cup Final The 1999 Rugby World Cup Final was the final match in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. It was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on 6 November 1999, between and with 72,500 in attendance. Australia won the game by 35 points to 12, and ...

2000s

In 2003, Terfel hosted and performed on the stage with opera tenor

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his de ...

and soprano

Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, '' Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million ...

in front of the capacity crowd of 10,000 people from

Faenol Festival The Faenol Festival ( cy, Gŵyl y Faenol) is a music festival organised by Welsh singer Bryn Terfel, originally held annually on the Faenol Estate (Welsh: ''Y Faenol''), near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, north Wales. The festival was launched in 20 ...

in Wales. In 2007 Terfel performed at the opening gala concert for the re-dedication of the Salt Lake Tabernacle with the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ...

on 6–7 April. Later, he performed the title role in a concert version of '' Sweeney Todd'' that had four performances from 5–7 July at London's

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...

. This idea came from Terfel and his fellow bass-baritone and friend, the Irishman Dermot Malone. Terfel has not shied away from popular music either. He has recorded CDs of songs by Lerner and Loewe and Rodgers 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's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...

'' when his six-year-old son required several operations on his finger. But he did successfully return 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 did sing the role of

Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelung ...

in Covent Garden's revival of the ''Der 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 of '' Falstaff''. He had sung in this production in 1993, when he played the role of Ford. In 2009 Terfel sang Scarpia and the Dutchman for the Royal Opera House.

Since 2010

In 2010, Terfel made his debut as Hans Sachs in Wagner's '' Die Meistersinger'' in a production for

, in Cardiff and on tour. On 17 July 2010, the cast of this production gave a "concert staging" at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

as part of the 2010

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

, which was broadcast on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The sta ...

and on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

television. On 31 July, again at the Proms, he performed in a concert from the Royal Albert Hall celebrating the works of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

, in his 80th birthday year. Terfel took on the role of Wotan for the premiere performances of

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair l ...

's new Met staging of Wagner's ''Der Ring'' 2010–12. He sang the role in all three of the four ''Der Ring'' operas that feature Wotan: ''

'', ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

'' and '' Siegfried''. In September 2013 Terfel collaborated with

released the album ''Homeward Bound'' which reached No. 58 Official UK Charts. In September 2014 Terfel reprised his role as Sweeney Todd in the Live from Lincoln Center concert production of '' Sweeney Todd'', which was broadcast on PBS. This production also starred

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

as Mrs Lovett and

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

as the Beggar Woman. In 2016 Terfel took the title role in Mussorgsky's ''

Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...

'', directed by

Antonio Pappano Sir Antonio Pappano (born 30 December 1959) is an English-Italian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Royal Opera House and of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He is scheduled to become chief c ...

at the Royal Opera House.

Personal life

Terfel was married to his childhood sweetheart, Lesley, in 1987 until their divorce in 2013. The couple have three sons. In 2017 he and harpist

Hannah Stone Hannah Stone (born 1987) is a professional Welsh harpist. Since 2007 she has performed internationally and won a number of prizes, and from 2011 to 2015 was Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales. Education As part of an exchange program St ...

had a daughter. The couple married on 26 July 2019 at Caersalem Newydd Baptist Church in the bride's home city of Swansea. Terfel was a leading petitioner in the creation of

Bontnewydd railway station Bontnewydd is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway. The halt was opened on 31 May 1999 on the petition of the villagers of Bontnewydd, and is between Caernarfon and Dinas on the Lôn Eifion cycle route. It is a requ ...

on the rebuilt

Welsh Highland Railway The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) or Rheilffordd Eryri is a long, restored narrow gauge heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations ...

, and in part sponsored its construction.

Partial solo discography

*''Bryn Terfel – Volume I'' (1988) *''Bryn Terfel – Volume II'' (1990) *''The Vagabond and Other Songs by Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Finzi and Ireland'' (1995) *''Something Wonderful'' (1996) *''Handel Arias'' (1997) *'' We'll Keep a Welcome'' (2000) *''Some Enchanted Evening'' (2001) *''Under the Stars'' (2003), with

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for ...

*''Bryn'' (2003) *''Simple Gifts'' (2005) *''Tutto Mozart!'' (2006) *''First Love'' (2008), songs from the British Isles *''Carols and Christmas Songs'' (2010) *''Homeward Bound'' (2013), with the

Welsh albums

File:Bryn Terfel Cyfrol 1 - Volume 1, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 1988 File:Cyfrol 2 - Volume 2, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 1990 File:Caneuon Meirion Williams - The Songs Of Meirion Williams, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 1993 File:Hafan Gobaith - Another Day, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 1995 File:Hafan Gobaith - Another Day 2003, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 2003 File:Benedictus, album cover.jpg, Sain (Recordings) Ltd; 2005

Videography

* ''

James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala ''James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala'' was a concert, lasting (including intermissions) approximately eight hours, that the Metropolitan Opera staged in 1996 in honour of its then principal conductor and artistic director. Exc ...

'' (1996), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0004602-09

Honours and awards

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 the

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitor ...

, of membership of the Gorsedd of Bards. The Gorsedd was created in 1792 as a celebration of Welsh heritage, and inductees are considered to have contributed to Welsh culture. * Morriston Orpheus Choir Supporters' Association (MOCSA) Young Welsh Singer of the Year (1988) *

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(2003) *

Queen's Medal for Music The King's Medal for Music (or the Queen's Medal for Music during the reign of a queen) is an annual award, instituted in 2005, for contribution to the musical life of Great Britain. The Medal may be awarded to people of any nationality. The expe ...

(2006) *

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in ...

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

(2008) *Honorary Doctorate in Music,

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

(2012) *Honorary Doctorate in Music,

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...

(2012) * Austrian Kammersänger (2022) Terfel was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in the

2017 New Year Honours The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to music. Terfel is also President of the Welsh homelessness charity Shelter Cymru and is Patron of Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales, a registered charity based in Cardiff which provides specialist Bobath therapy to children from all over Wales who have

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

. Terfel is a Vice President of the

Dunvant Male Choir Dunvant Male Choir ( cy, Côr Meibion Dyfnant) is the oldest continuously singing Welsh choir and is based in Dunvant, Swansea, Wales. History The Choir was founded in 1895, in the country traditionally known as the "land of song".Davies (20 ...

in Swansea, the oldest continuously singing Welsh choir, dating from 1895. The choir sang at Terfel's wedding in 2019.

Faenol Festival

In 2000 Terfel founded the Faenol Festival (known in

as "Gŵyl y Faenol"), at the Faenol Estate near

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the na ...

, Wales. Billed as "Bryn Terfel's

" (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 released ''We'll Keep a Welcome – The Welsh Album'', an anthology of favourite traditional songs. The festival had been voted a £250,000 grant by the

Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh ...

, but did not take place in 2009 or 2010 and ended as of 2010. Subsequently, the 2012 Faenol Festival took place in London.

Operatic repertoire

Terfel has performed the following roles on stage:

References

External links

Bryn Terfel at Official Deutsche Grammophon site

www.brynfest.com Faenol Festival

Bryn Terfel biography from BBC Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terfel, Bryn 1965 births Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Bards of the Gorsedd Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Grammy Award winners Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Living people People from Caernarfonshire Operatic bass-baritones Welsh Eisteddfod winners 20th-century Welsh male opera singers 21st-century Welsh male opera singers Welsh-language singers Welsh bass-baritones Deutsche Grammophon artists People educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle Knights Bachelor Singers awarded knighthoods Österreichischer Kammersänger