Home | Programs | Best of Studs Terkel | Bryn Terfel (11/30/1995)

Bryn Terfel (11/30/1995)

November 21, 2025, 11:00 pm

Bryn Terfel (Photo: Mitch Jenkins courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon)

The Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel was a young singer at the beginning of a meteoric rise into operatic stardom when he spoke with Studs Terkel on WFMT in November 1995.

Learn about sponsorship opportunities.

Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff

Bryn Terfel (11/30/1995)