BRYN TERFEL CBE, the leading Welsh bass-baritone of his era and considered one of the brightest stars in world opera, will perform locally next Friday (October 18th) at 7.30pm at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
The London Times once described Terfel as “A born communicator who loves words as much as music, he has reached out to audiences way beyond the rarefied temples of opera houses and recital halls.”
Born in Pant Glas, Caernarfonshire, North Wales, in 1965, the son of a farmer, Bryn’s first language is Welsh. After winning numerous competitions for his singing, he moved to London in 1984 and entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied under Rudolf Piernay.
In 1990 Terfel made his operatic début as Guglielmo in Così Fan Tutte at the Welsh National Opera, and later in the same season he sang the title role in The Marriage of Figaro, a role with which he made his debut with the English National Opera in 1991. Over the past two decades he has performed at all of the major opera venues in the world, including La Scala in Milan and New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
Although Terfel flourished early in his career in the operas of Mozart, in recent years he has gravitated to heavier fare, especially that of Wagner, performing as Wotan in Covent Garden’s Ring Cycle in the fall of 2012.
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 Ser‘ (‘The Memory of Stars’) in the National Eisteddfod with the composer Robat Arwyn.
The concert at the Broad Stage is a unique opportunity to see this wonderful singer in a comparatively intimate setting.
The Broad Stage is located at: 1310th 11th St in Santa Monica. Tel: (310) 434-3200 or visit www.thebroadstage.com
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