I had an angelic childhood. I was brought up on a sheep farm in Pant Glas, north Wales, with my older brother Ian. My father was a farmer, my mum worked in a school for children with disabilities, and they and my grandparents were in different choirs. There was always singing in the household, pieces of music on the kitchen cupboards.
I’d stand on a table and sing an Elvis song at the drop of a hat. I wasn’t a boy soprano, but I entered into competitions in the Welsh festival, Eisteddfod. That allowed me to think of singing as a career. Any given weekend, you can compete either singing, reciting or playing an instrument.
I was a lad who hadn’t left his square mile. When I went to audition at the Guildhall School of Music, it was my parents’ first time to London, too. Thankfully, I was given a scholarship.
Not knowing a part fills me with dread. But if I’ve done the hard work of learning, be it a simple Schubert or Schumann song or a Fauré or Vaughan Williams, I enjoy it. I like to have a polished nugget ready to go when I open the door of any Opera House.
I fell in love with Hannah [Stone, Terfel’s second wife] the first time she accompanied me on the harp. We met on an S4C Christmas show in Swansea. Then we got married and had two children. That’s what life is really all about: to experience things together. Of course, music plays an important part in that.
My hardest challenge? Managing my time at home. When I was trying to build my career, I might be away performing for 14 weeks, and sometimes the kids joined me. I’m proud we’ve opened their eyes to everything that comes with going to see Dad singing.
I wish I was better with languages. I’m first-language Welsh and try to speak that and English perfectly. You’d think it would help me learn Italian, French or German. But it’s not the case.
A lot of opera singers in the 90s invested in houses in sunnier climates – I followed suit. My place on the Costa del Sol has been my haven for years. It’s where I let my hair down. There’s no music, no learning words, just the kids enjoying themselves. I should be fluent in Spanish – that’s the next goal.
Being Welsh is absolutely everything for me. The mountains, the lakes, 360 miles of coastline, castles… The Welsh community is also very supportive of somebody who wants a singing career because they love singing themselves. Sometimes I’ve had 90 Welsh people in an audience in New York or Milan.
Singing at King Charles’s coronation was a thank-you to him for being such a strong advocate for music. Three Welsh words were heard for the first time in a coronation. It reached millions of people. The week after I was recognised everywhere.
I always have the memory of my grandparents when I receive accolades. I have a CBE and a knighthood, but I was bowled over to become the second recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music. My grandparents on my father’s side were huge fans of the royal family. They had memorabilia all over their little Caernarfon cottage.
I’m facing my career slowing down. It’s time I gave something back and I’ll do anything to help Wales thrive. It’s a magnificent country that’s helped me along my journey.
Bryn Terfel is currently a judge on Y Llais (the Welsh version of The Voice). Watch with subtitles on S4C on Sundays at 7.30pm, or catch up on BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic
