Iestyn Davies
About this Artist
After reading archaeology and anthropology at St John’s College, Cambridge, Iestyn Davies studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
An esteemed Handelian, the countertenor has delighted audiences globally with his vocal agility and supreme musicianship in roles such as Bertarido, Orlando, Rinaldo, Ottone (Agrippina), and David (Saul). Committed also to contemporary music, he has brought his intelligent and considered interpretations to fruitful collaborations with Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, and Nico Muhly.
On the opera stage, Davies has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Teatro alla Scala Milan; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; English National Opera; Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Welsh National Opera; Teatro Real Madrid; Salzburg Festival; and in Munich, Vienna, and Zurich. Recent appearances include Arsace (Partenope) in Madrid, Ottone (Agrippina) in Hamburg and Munich, Bertarido (Rodelinda) at the Metropolitan Opera, and Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) in Versailles.
Concert engagements include performances at the Teatro alla Scala with Gustavo Dudamel, the Concertgebouw and Tonhalle with Ton Koopman, and the Barbican, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall.
Davies begins the 2024/25 season singing Didymus in Theodora at Teatro Real Madrid and with Music of the Baroque, Chicago, before delving into other works by Handel including David in Saul at the Glyndebourne Festival, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno and Dixit Dominus with Emmanuelle Haïm at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Messiah with Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie, and arias on tour with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Robin Ticciati.
His recital discs have won three Gramophone Awards, and he performed on the Grammy-winning recording of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest. He is a recipient of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and was nominated for an Olivier Award for his singing role in Farinelli and the King opposite Mark Rylance (London’s West End and Broadway). In 2017 Davies was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to music.