Gethin Rees
Tenor
"Rees sings new music as if it were the only music – there is no sense of effort, no missionary quality. Just complete conviction."
The Listener
Gethin Rees is one of the world's leading tenors in contemporary opera. Born in Swansea, Wales, he has become the defining voice of a generation of composers writing for the stage.
Gethin Rees began his professional life at Welsh National Opera before his commitment to new work brought him to the attention of Europe's major festival stages. His formation as a singer of contemporary music took place across Cardiff, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
His international breakthrough came at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2012, where his performance in the world premiere of a new chamber opera drew notices across the European press. Engagements with the Bayerische Staatsoper and the English National Opera followed within two seasons.
Rees commands fees between $35,000 and $70,000 per production – reflecting his standing at the Barbican Centre, the Opéra de Paris, and the Elbphilharmonie, where his concert appearances sell out consistently.
His recordings on ECM Records and Kairos Music have reached audiences well beyond the traditional opera circuit. His recording of the song cycle Gravel & Light, composed for him by Mira Vondrak, received the Gramophone Award for Contemporary Music in 2023.
upcoming Concerts
18:00
Barbican Centre, London
Mira Vondrak – Fold Lines (revival production)
Aperghis – Recitations (selection)
Latest Release
Night Cartography
Works by Brennan Holt, Clara Andermatt, and Gwyn Parry Gethin Rees, tenor – Ensemble Contrechamps
Silo Classics
"A programme that reads like a manifesto and sounds like a conversation. Rees has assembled three composers who share nothing obvious except his trust, and that turns out to be enough."
Latest Video
Opéra de Paris
