Derek Welton made his début as the Wanderer in Siegfried in April 2025, completing the trio of Wotans in Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried.   The début took place at the State Opera in Prague on 1 April, quickly followed by the second performance on 4 April in the Philharmonie de Paris. A further […]

Derek Welton took over the role of Wotan in Das Rheingold for an ill colleague at short notice on 19 February at the Paris Opera, receiving praise from the public and press for his musical and dramatic portrayal of the role.   Forum Opéra described Derek as a ‘rightly acclaimed Wotan’: ‘And miracle: the sun […]

Derek Welton recently made successful role and house débuts as Pizarro in Fidelio at the Washington National Opera, in a production directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Robert Spano, which had its premiere on 25 October. The following evening, Derek starred in Washington National Opera’s Gods & Mortals concert, featuring excerpts of Wagner’s Ring […]

Derek returned to Perth, Western Australia in September 2024 to be part of the first performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 8 in the state, performed by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Asher Fisch. It was Derek’s début in the role of Pater Profundus.   The performances were highly praised by the […]

Deutsche Grammophon’s video and audio recording of Wagner’s Parsifal from the 2023 Bayreuth Festival was released yesterday, 28 June 2024.   Derek Welton features as Amfortas and is joined by Andreas Schager as Parsifal, Elīna Garanča as Kundry, Georg Zeppenfeld as Gurnemanz and Jordan Shanahan as Klingsor.   The recording is available for listening on […]

Derek Welton’s stage début as Wotan in Die Walküre in May 2024, in Stefan Herheim’s staging at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Nicholas Carter and Sir Donald Runnicles, was also acclaimed by the press:   ‘Derek Welton’s Wotan came across as perhaps more tightly, certainly more darkly, focused; that is perhaps in part a […]

Derek Welton’s recent début in the role of Wotan in Wagner’s Die Walküre has been met with critical acclaim. Reviews of the performances include:   ‘Derek Welton is unsurpassable as Wotan.’ – Kölner Stadtanzeiger   ‘Derek Welton is at home in the Wagner world and is a welcome guest in the great bass-baritone roles at […]

Following his house début at the Teatro Real Madrid in January, Derek worked for the first time with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Gimeno, performing and recording Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, which will be released on the Harmonia Mundi label. Yesterday he began rehearsals in Dresden of Wagner’s Die Walküre with the Dresden Festival Orchestra and Concerto Köln, conducted […]

Derek Welton’s performances in the title role of Elijah have been critically acclaimed by the press:   ‘The splendid hero turns out to be Derek Welton. The Australian baritone dominates the overwhelming title role and infuses it with all the colours of the Lieder singer that he also is.’ – Classique News   ‘The baritone Derek […]

After a break following his performances as Amfortas at the Bayreuth Festival in summer 2023, Derek commences his 2023/2024 season with performances of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in November, before joining rehearsals of Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Opéra de Lyon, where he sings the title role.   In January and […]