Daniel Calvert talks to countertenor Iestyn Davies about how comedy greats like Rowan Atkinson have influenced his life and work, as well as his habit of doing Alan Bennett impressions.
Iestyn Davies is a British countertenor celebrated for his tone, technical precision, and expressive artistry. Raised in a musical family—his father was a founding cellist of the Fitzwilliam Quartet—Davies began his musical journey playing piano and recorder. He later sang as a chorister at St John’s College, Cambridge, and transitioned to countertenor during his teenage years while studying at Wells Cathedral School. He returned to Cambridge as a choral scholar and later earned a Diploma and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Music in London.
On stage and in concert halls around the world, Davies is renowned for his mastery of Baroque repertoire, particularly Handel and Bach. His notable opera roles include Bertarido in Rodelinda, Ottone in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Arsace in Partenope, and Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed at venues such as Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Met Opera, La Scala, and Chicago Lyric Opera
He collaborates regularly with leading ensembles and conductors including The English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and artists like Harry Bicket, Emmanuelle Haïm, and Bernard Labadie. Davies is equally esteemed as a recitalist, with recordings spanning works from Dowland and Purcell to contemporary composers like Thomas Adès. He has also brought his countertenor voice to theatrical productions, notably providing the singing voice for Farinelli in Farinelli and the King, a role he performed alongside Mark Rylance in London’s West End and on Broadway.
Iestyn Davies is appearing next month in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Handel’s Agrippina at the Royal Opera House.
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Photo: Chris Sorensen