Iestyn knows the role of Didymus backward and forward, but he has a trick to keep each performance fresh. “I heard Benedict Cumberbatch say in an interview that one way he stays grounded is to treat every piece of work as if it were the first time he had ever stepped on a stage,” Iestyn shares. “I really liked the idea, and I started to use it. It imbues me with that healthy balance of nerves, dosed not with anxiety, but rather a willingness to do well and serve the work.”
Despite his busy performance calendar, Iestyn finds time to nurture other passions. In addition to cheering on the Liverpool Football Club, he enjoys cooking and collecting Left Bank Bordeaux. He also serves as President of the York Georgian Society. “I have a keen interest in architecture and interiors,” he says. “I studied archaeology before attending the Royal Academy of Music, and helped uncover the first British slave plantation in Antigua.”
While Iestyn is bracing himself for the Chicago weather later this month, he’s already looking forward to summer—and not just the warmer temperatures. “I’m excited to return to the wonderful Barrie Kosky production of Handel’s Saul (as David) at Glyndebourne Opera,” he says. Iestyn then goes on to play Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Eurydice on stage for the first time with several ensembles, including at the Edinburgh International Festival with Opera Australia in association with Circa. “I really can’t wait to work on that production in particular, especially to have the opportunity to collaborate with director Yaron Lipschitz."
Countertenor Iestyn Davies reunites with Nicholas Kraemer for Music of the Baroque’s first performances in 40 years of Handel’s Theodora, alongside soprano Sherezade Panthaki, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, tenor David Portillo, and baritone Jonathan Woody on Sunday, March 2, at the North Shore Center in Skokie, and Monday, March 3, at the Harris Theater in downtown Chicago. Tickets are available at the link below.
