Born in North Wales, he studied at the GSMD with Arthur Reckless and Rudolf Piernay. His award-winning discography encompasses operas by Mozart, Wagner and Strauss and over 15 solo discs. Awards and honours include a CBE (2003), the Queen’s Medal for Music (2006), a knighthood (2017) the title of Austrian Kammersänger (2022) and a European Cultural Award at the Tonhalle, Zurich. Recent appearances include the Coronation of King Charles III, Sweeney Todd (Zurich Opera), Balstrode (Vienna State Opera), Bluebeard (Paris Opera), Gianni Schicchi (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, European Opera Centre), Aleko, Gianni Schicchi, Dutchman (Grange Park Opera), Falstaff (Zurich Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper), Scarpia (Munich, Shanghai Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo Spring Festival, Vienna, Bergen International Festival), Don Pizarro, Dulcamara, Don Basilio (Vienna), Belshazzar’s Feast with RLPO and Elijah with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Previous roles for The Royal Opera include Scarpia, The Dutchman, Balstrode, Dulcamara, Don Basilio, Don Pasquale and Boris Godunov. Engagements for 2025/26 include Scarpia in Zurich and Der fliegende Holländer in concert in Monte-Carlo.

Bryn Terfel is scheduled to perform in all performances of Boris Godunov at the Royal Opera House 29 January –18 February 2026. He is scheduled to perform in all performances of Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera House 5–28 May 2026.