Iestyn Davies

An esteemed Handelian, Iestyn Davies has delighted audiences globally with his vocal agility and supreme musicianship in roles such as Bertarido, Orlando, Rinaldo, Ottone in Agrippina, and David in Saul. His intelligent and considered interpretations of contemporary music have also led to fruitful collaborations with Thomas Adés, George Benjamin, and Nico Muhly. The performances of Handel's Theodora on March 2 & 3 mark his debut with Music of the Baroque.

Current and recent highlights include Tolomeo in Cesare at Opéra National de Paris and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Atlanta Opera and Garsington Opera. In concert Iestyn Davies joins Les Violons du Roy for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra for Benjamin’s Written on Skin conducted by George Benjamin, a US and Asian tour with the English Concert for Rodelinda, and a Bach solo program on tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

On the opera stage, Iestyn Davies has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera; the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Teatro alla Scala; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; English National Opera; Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Welsh National Opera; Teatro Real Madrid; the Salzburg Festival; and in Munich, Vienna, and Zurich. Recent appearances include Arsace in Partenope in Madrid, Ottone in Agrippina in Hamburg and Munich, Bertarido in Rodelinda for the Metropolitan Opera, and Ottone in L’incoronazione di Poppea in Versailles.

Past concert engagements include performances at the Teatro alla Scala with Dudamel; the Concertgebouw and Tonhalle with Koopman; and at the Barbican, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Centre, Carnegie Hall and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with orchestras that include the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, English Concert, Britten Sinfonia, Concerto Köln, Concerto Copenhagen, Ensemble Matheus, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. During the 2022-23 season, Iestyn Davies appeared in concerts at Carnegie Hall with Bernard Labadie, the Berlin Philharmonie with Emmanuelle Haim, and at the Barbican in a world premiere production of music by Dowland with lutenist Thomas Dunford, staged by Netia Jones.

An outstanding recitalist, Iestyn Davies has performed in Vienna, Tokyo, Paris, and New York in repertoire ranging from Dowland to Clapton. He is a regular favorite at London’s Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, where he has curated residencies.

Iestyn Davies' recital discs have won three Gramophone Awards, and he performed on the GRAMMY-winning recording of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest. He is the 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. In 2017 he was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to music.