Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 8 Sir Bryn Terfel

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 9 Sir Bryn is a Grammy, Classical Brit, and Gramophone Award winner whose discography encompasses operas of Mozart, Wagner and Strauss, plus more than 15 solo discs including Lieder, American musical theater, Welsh songs, and sacred repertory. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to opera in 2003, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2006, and received a knighthood for his services to music in 2017. Sir Bryn was the last recipient of the Alfred Toepfer Foundation’s Shakespeare Prize in 2006, and in 2015 he received The Freedom of the City of London award. NATALIA KATYUKOVA One of the highly regarded collaborators of her generation, the Russian pianist is an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and principal staff coach at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Katyukova has performed with singers including Terfel, Anna Netrebko, Ildar Abdrazakov, Simon Keenlyside, and Paul Appleby at festivals and summer programs including the Ravinia Festival and Tanglewood Music Festival, and has appeared in recital throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Texas Wesleyan University, and the Conservatory “Monteverdi” (Bolzano, Italy). Her solo career began as the winner of the MTNA National Piano Competition (U.S.) and various international piano competitions. A graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Katyukova has studied with distinguished teachers including Margo Garrett, Jonathan Feldman, Brian Zeger, Ken Noda, and Lev Naumov. SIR BRYN TERFEL The internationally celebrated Welsh bass- baritone is heard regularly on the stages of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and opera houses. His association with Lyric reaches back to the very beginning of his career, with performances including Donner/ Das Rheingold (debut, 1992|93), Leporello/ Don Giovanni (1995|96), Jochanaan/ Salome (1996|97), the title role/ The Marriage of Figaro (1997|98), the title role/ Falstaff (1999|00), the title role/ Sweeney Todd (2002|03), and the title role/ Don Giovanni (2004|05). After winning the Song Prize at the 1989 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Terfel made his professional operatic debut in 1990 as Guglielmo/ Così fan tutte at Welsh National Opera. In 1991, the year of his international operatic debut as the Speaker/ The Magic Flute at La Monnaie (Brussels), he also made his American debut as Mozart’s Figaro with The Santa Fe Opera. He is also an acclaimed interpreter of Méphistophélès, Scarpia, Gianni Schicchi, the Dutchman, Hans Sachs, Nick Shadow, and the Villains/ The Tales of Hoffmann . Sir Bryn marked his 50th birthday and 25 years in the profession in 2015 with a special gala concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, hosted by notable actor and fellowWelshman Michael Sheen. The celebrations continued at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre, where Sir Bryn sang Scarpia in a special concert performance of Tosca with Welsh National Opera. Earlier this season Terfel portrayed Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at the Royal Opera House and Scarpia in Vienna. Next month he stars in The Flying Dutchman at the Metropolitan Opera, followed by Bluebeard’s Castle (Welsh National Opera) and Tosca (Royal Opera House). Other recent highlights include Sweeney Todd (Zurich Opera House), Boris Godunov (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Opera House), and the world premiere of an original show by Robat Arwyn and Mererid Hopwood – Hwn Yw Fy Mrawd – chronicling the life of Paul Robeson, at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, as part of the National Eisteddfod of Wales arts festival. Among other important career milestones are Wotan/ Ring cycle at the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera; Sweeney Todd opposite Emma Thompson at English National Opera and Lincoln Center (PBS telecast); Sir Bryn’s debuts as Hans Sachs/ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Welsh National Opera), Tevye/ Fiddler on the Roof (Grange Park Opera), and the title role/ Boris Godunov (Royal Opera House); and hosting Brynfest, a four- day festival in London, as part of the Southbank Centre’s Festival of the World. Successes in concert range from the opening ceremony of the Wales Millennium Centre, the BBC’s “Last Night of the Proms,” and the Royal Variety Show to a gala with Andrea Bocelli in New York’s Central Park. For nine years Sir Bryn hosted his own festival in Faenol, North Wales. Artist profiles Mitch Jenkins/ CourtesyofDeutscheGrammophon