Terfel, Bryn (1965-…), is an outstanding Welsh baritone. Terfel has gained an international reputation as an opera star for his superb voice, stage presence, and acting skills. He has won praise in a wide variety of roles in operas by such composers as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of Austria, Richard Wagner of Germany, Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi of Italy, and Benjamin Britten of the United Kingdom.
In concert, Terfel has performed intimate German lieder (art songs) by such noted composers as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert of Germany and Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Ireland, and George Butterworth of the United Kingdom. In addition, Terfel sings Welsh folk songs and has recorded successful albums of Broadway songs composed by the American teams of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
Bryn Terfel Jones was born in Pantglas in rural northern Wales on Nov. 9, 1965. He dropped his last name to avoid confusion with another Welsh singer named Bryn Jones. Terfel studied voice at the Guildhall School of Music in London from 1984 to 1989. He made his professional debut in 1990 at the Welsh National Opera. He made his American debut in 1991 at the Santa Fe Opera as Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
