Rhydian Jenkins

Welsh tenor Rhydian Jenkins is currently a member of the International Opera Studio at Oper Köln. He was a 2022-24 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio, and he was a Garsington Opera Alvarez Young Artist and a Longborough Festival Opera Emerging Artist.

He graduated with distinction from the David Seligman Opera School at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and won both the 2019 Bryn Terfel Scholarship and the 2021 MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Prize. He was also a finalist in the 2023 Bampton Classical Opera Young Singer’s Competition.

His engagements have included Sergei in „Cherry Town, Moscow“ for Welsh National Opera, Snout & Fairy 3 in „The Fairy Queen“ for Longborough Festival Opera, as well as creating the role of Vittorio in Marianna Bottini’s „Elena e Gerardo“ for Random Opera Company. He also covered the roles of Ruggero in „La rondine“ for IF Opera, and Spoletta in „Tosca“ for Northern Ireland Opera. Other roles include Don Ottavio in „Don Giovanni“, Count Almaviva in „Il barbiere di Siviglia“, Peter Quint/Prologue in „The Turn of the Screw“, Alfred in „Die Fledermaus“ and Anthony Hope in „Sweeney Todd“. For Garsington Opera, he recently covered Lysander in „A Midsummer Night’s Dream“ and Count Ivrea in „Un giorno di regno“.

He has appeared in recital at London’s Wigmore Hall and made his debut with The Hallé performing „The Glories of Rome“ at The Bridgewater Hall. Wider concert engagements have included performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, and Wales Millennium Centre.

As a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio, Rhydian Jenkins enjoyed residencies at English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera, performing in scenes roles including Count Almaviva in „Il barbiere di Siviglia“, Fenton in „Falstaff“, Ernesto in „Don Pasquale“, Beppe in „Rita“, Telemaco in „Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria“, Vašek in „The Bartered Bride“, Jaquino in „Fidelio“, Basilio in „Le nozze di Figaro“ and La Remendado in „Carmen“.

During 2024-25, his roles at Oper Köln in his first season include performing the roles of Tamino & Monostatos in „Die Zauberflöte für Jung und Alt“, Parpignol in „La bohème“, Hund in „Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten“, Batman in „Superheldennormalos“ (world premiere) and Ensemble for Saariaho’s „La Passion de Simone“.

In the 2025-26 season, he will play the role of the lamplighter in „Manon Lescaut“, Don Curzio in „Le nozze di Figaro“, and, for the children's opera, Maurizio di Mauro in „Der Satanarchäolügenialkohöllische Wunschpunsch“ and Max in „Max und Moritz“.