Biography
Darren Jeffery is as much in demand on the operatic stage as he is on the concert platform. His versatility enables him to sing roles from Handel to Wagner as well as the more contemporary works of Britten, Stravinsky, Weill, Birtwistle and Panufnik.
Darren studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Patrick McGuigan. He received the RNCM’s highest accolade, the Curtis Gold Medal and performed the title role in its award winning production of Verdi’s Falstaff. From 2001-2003 he was an inaugural member of the Royal Opera Young Artists Programme, where he made his professional debut as Sciarrone, Tosca. Since then he has worked regularly with the Royal Opera House and has sung over fifteen roles including most recently Sprecher / Die Zauberflöte, Monterone / Rigoletto and Bill / Mahagonny.
He has also appeared regularly at English National Opera with roles such as Leporello/Don Giovanni, Donner/The Rheingold, Speaker/ The Magic Flute, Mr. Flint/Billy Budd, Hobson/Peter Grimes, Dr Roman in Nico Muhly’s new opera, Marnie and he returns in 2024 for the Mill Foreman / Jenufa. Other recent and future opera engagements include Lt. Ratcliffe /Billy Budd and Kothner/Die Meistersinger (and covering Hans Sachs) as well as Alcindoro / La bohème at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Theseus and Bottom / A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Opera North, Pizarro / Fidelio, the title role in Rossini’s Maometto II and Simon / Silver Birch for Garsington Opera, Sacristan/Tosca, Father Trulove / The Rake’s Progress and Frank / Die Fledermaus for The Grange Festival, Mr Flint / Billy Budd for the Bolshoi, Capulet / Romeo et Juliet at the Salzburg Festival, Sergeant Meryll / Yeomen of the Guard for Opera Holland Park, Publio for the Aix en Provence Festival, the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer as well as Der Herrscher / Das Wunder der Heliane for Nationale Reisopera, Hobson / Opera Köln, the Music Master / Ariadne auf Naxos for Longborough Festival and Don Alfonso / Cosi fan tutte for Malmö Opera. In 2019 he sang his first Wotan / Das Rheingold for Longborough Festival Opera and covered Wotan / The Wanderer in Melbourne Opera’s 2023 Ring Cycle.
A firm favourite as a soloist in Oratorio and Concert he has collaborated with several of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras. Darren has sung Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, appeared regularly at the BBC Proms (Elijah, Le Rossignol, Les Troyens, Serenade to Music, Peter Grimes, Haydn’s Seven Last Words from the Cross) and has regularly performed Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s B Minor Mass, St. John and St. Matthew Passions, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Requiem Masses of Verdi, Brahms and Mozart. Recent engagements and future plans include Créon/Oedipus Rex with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Manchester and Vienna, performances of the Messiah with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra under Douglas Boyd, concert performances of La Clemenza di Tito with Classical Opera Company as well as Mozart arias in Vienna, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the RTE Symphony, Bach St John Passion with Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Missa Solemnis with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Mozart Requiem and Messiah with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared on several occasions with the acclaimed Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Recordings include Fidelio, Benvenuto Cellini, Mozart Requiem and the Grammy winning Falstaff / Sir Colin Davis and Billy Budd / Daniel Harding all with the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also recorded the title role in Garsington Opera’s production of Maometto II. Darren has featured in a number of DVD performances including A Rake’s Progress, Don Carlo and Billy Budd.
