Bryn Terfel

Biography

Opera singer Bryn Terfel's real name is Bryn Terfel Jones. Since his early childhood, he has been drawn to music and as a young boy, Terfel was introduced to traditional Welsh singing. He was extremely talented and would take part in singing competitions which he won with ease.

In 1984, Bryn Terfel went to study music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He stayed there for four years to win the BBC "Singer of the World" competition in 1989.

A year later, the singer joined the Welsh National Opera where he sang the role of Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte. He then continued with The Marriage of Figaro and joined the English National Opera in 1991.

The bass-baritone played Figaro in Santa Fe and went to Covent Garden in 1992. The same year, he broke through with Richard Strauss' Salome in the role of Jochanaan then went to Vienna to sing Figaro. In 1994, he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

In 1996, Terfel sang Wolfram in Tannhäuser at the Metropolitan Opera as well as the role of Nick Shadow in the work "The Rake's Progress" at the Welsh National Opera.

In 1997, Bryn Terfel performed Figaro masterfully at La Scala in Milan and then he performed works by Brahms, Schumann, Wolft, Fauré and Schubert. Bryn Terfel arrived in Paris in 1999 and performed Don Giovanni for the first time. That same year, he also performed Falstaff at the Chicago Lyric Opera.

In 2000, Bryn Terfel created the Faenol Festival near Snowdonia in Wales

In 2003, Prince Charles, under the auspices of the Queen of England, awarded him the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. For over ten years now, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel has recorded numerous recitals and opera excerpts.

He also produced a Christmas carol album in 2010. Now, Bryn Terfel sings the greatest works on many opera stages around the world.