Grammy winner joins Gossett in conversation on opera

Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will discuss his career and his views on opera with Philip Gossett, the Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor and Dean of the Humanities Division, during the program "In the Middle: A Conversation Between Baritone Bryn Terfel and Philip Gossett" at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in Mandel Hall. The discussion is free and open to the public.

"Bryn Terfel is one of the truly outstanding young artists performing today on the operatic and concert stage," said Gossett, a renowned opera scholar. "Those who have seen him at the Lyric Opera or at his Orchestra Hall recital earlier this year know what a treat we have in store for us. Not only has he given remarkable interpretations in a variety of operatic roles, but he is a man of great charm and charisma, as well as one who cares deeply about his art."

Terfel is currently performing the role of Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has performed the role in many of the world's leading opera houses, including New York's Metropolitan Opera; La Scala, Milan; the Royal Opera House; Covent Garden and the San Francisco Opera. He also has performed Leporello in Don Giovanni, Jochanaan in Strauss' Salome, Dr. Miracle in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman, Balstrode in Britten's Peter Grimes and Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhaeuser.

In addition, Terfel has a distinguished career on the concert platform, appearing with James Levine in Mahler's Eighth Symphony and with Claudio Abbado in Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem," as a soloist in the 1994 BBC Last Night at the Proms, and in performances of Elijah at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival and with the New York Philharmonic.

Terfel's many awards include a Grammy for best classical vocal performance for his recording of Opera Arias, a Gramophone Award for his album An Die Musik and the Gramophone "People's Award," voted by listeners of Classic FM, for his recording of The Vagabond. He was also named the 1992 Gramophone Magazine "Young Singer of the Year," and, in 1993, "Newcomer of the Year" at the International Classical Music Awards.

Born in Wales, Terfel studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, winning the 1988 Kathleen Ferrier Scholarship and the 1989 Gold Medal Award. In 1989, he won the Lieder Prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

His numerous recordings include Salome, Le nozze di Figaro, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn's Elijah and several solo discs.

Terfel is coming to campus as the Regents Park Opera Lecturer. The lecture was established by Martha and Bruce Clinton in honor of Douglas Baird, Dean of the Law School. Regents Park, an apartment complex in Hyde Park, is owned and operated by the Clinton Company. Previous Regents Park Opera lecturers included Samuel Ramey and Catherine Malfitano. For more information, call 702-3315.