Swansea Arena has announced that Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will be bringing his Christmas show, Bryn’s Christmas to the venue on Tuesday 17 December.
He will be joined by special guest soprano Pumeza Matshikiza and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra, conducted by Paul Bateman.
Bryn’s Christmas will include festive carols in English and Welsh, as well as popular Christmas songs and orchestral pieces.
Bryn Terfel has established an extraordinary career since winning the 1989 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize, performing regularly on the stages of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and opera houses. His repertory ranges from Mozart to Sondheim and his performances from intimate recitals to the BBC Last Night of the Proms. His award-winning discography encompasses operas by Mozart, Wagner and Strauss and more than 15 solo discs including Lieder, American musical theatre, Welsh songs and sacred repertory. His latest album Sea Songs, featuring sea shanties and folk music, was released on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
Bryn’s highlights range from the opening ceremony of the Wales Millennium Centre, BBC Last Night of the Proms and the Royal Variety Show to a Gala Concert with Andrea Bocelli in New York’s Central Park and curating a special Christmas concert and live international stream for the Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Met Stars Live in Concert’ series from Brecon Cathedral, Wales. He has given recitals all around the world and, for nine years, he hosted his own festival in Faenol, North Wales.
Bryn was made a CBE in 2003, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2006, received a knighthood in 2017 and was honoured with the title of Austrian Kammersänger by the Vienna State Opera and, in 2022, was awarded a European Cultural Award at the Tonhalle, Zurich, in recognition of his extraordinary music career. In 2023, he sang Paul Mealor’s new Welsh-language Kyrie at the Coronation of King Charles III and has recently concluded the ‘Bryn Double’ of operas at Grange Park, enjoying five-star reviews.
Bryn said of his Christmas show:
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year, especially for a father of five. I am thrilled to kick off the festive season with concerts in London and Manchester and two new venues for me in Swansea and Bristol. I can't wait to share the stage with the sensational South African soprano, Pumeza Matshikiza, and the magnificent Orchestra of Welsh National Opera conducted by Paul Bateman on this Christmas tour. Get ready to have your festive spirits awakened with beloved Christmas classics, some old favourites and a few delightful surprises, maybe an aria here and a shanty there.”
Bryn’s Christmas is presented in the UK by Temple Live Entertainment.
