British bass-baritone Dingle Yandell studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. He was one of the inaugural 'Rising Stars' of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and was a founder member of the award-winning British vocal ensemble Voces8, with whom he toured internationally for ten years.
In the 2023/24 season he sings Zuniga Carmen and Sprecher Die Zauberflöte both for Glyndebourne Opera. He also sings Richard Strauss’ wistful one-act opera Daphne on the concert platform with The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with Collegium Vocale Gent on a tour that includes significant concert halls.
Recent operatic engagements include André Thorel Thérèse (Scottish Opera), Theseus A Midsummer Night's Dream (Glyndebourne Opera), Don Pizarro Fidelio (Glyndebourne tour); Colline La bohème (Nevill Holt Opera); Snug A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scottish Opera); Commendatore Don Giovanni (Nevill Holt Opera, Oxford Sinfonia); his role debut as Fafner Das Rheingold (Grimeborn); Angelotti Tosca, Sarastro and Speaker of the Temple Die Zauberflöte, Count Ceprano and cover Sparafucile Rigoletto, and Immigration Officer Flight (Scottish Opera); The Doctor Pelléas et Mélisande, cover Don Geronio Il turco in Italia, and cover La Roche Capriccio (Garsington Opera); Plutone in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (L'Arpeggiata); Seneca L'incoronazione di Poppea (Bach Collegium Japan); and The Cold Genius and Aeolus King Arthur (Gabrieli Consort).
Equally in demand on the concert platform, his recent performances include Mozart Mass in C Minor with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Elgar The Apostles with The Hallé Orhestra, Bach Christmas Oratorio with Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah with Huddersfield Choral Society, Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall; St Matthew Passion at the Valetta International Baroque Festival, Israel in Egypt with William Christie at the BBC Proms, The Creation cond. Adam Fischer, Harmoniemesse cond. Andras Schiff and the world premiere of Sally Beamish’s The Judas Passion (all with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment); Bach’s St John Passion (Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow); Purcell’s Begin The Song (Arcangelo at Wigmore Hall). He sings regularly with the Early Opera Company, La Nuova Musica, Holland Baroque and Les Inventions, and is a soloist for the Bach, The Universe and Everything concert series at Kings Place, London. He also appears as a soloist on L’Arpeggiata’s recording Himmelsmusik.
His concert repertoire includes Handel’s Dixit Dominus with the Monteverdi Choir at the BBC Proms and the Berliner Philharmonie, Bach’s St John Passion with the Academy of Ancient Music at the Barbican, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Requiem at the Wimbledon International Music Festival, B Minor Mass (Cadogan Hall); Christmas Oratorio and Messiah (Hitomi Hall, Tokyo and with the Orchestra of Opera North); Bach Wachet Auf and Erfreut Euch (Dijon Opera House); Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music (Royal Festival Hall, cond. John Wilson) and Fantasia on Christmas Carols (Isumi Hall, Osaka); Purcell O Sing Unto the Lord (Gabrieli Consort) and Phoebus Dido and Aeneas (L’Arpeggiata at Oudemuziek Festival, Utrecht); Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Theodora, Dvorak Stabat Mater, Rossini Stabat Mater and Verdi Requiem.
Dingle is a recipient of a Sybil Tutton Opera Award administered by Help Musicians UK.
This biography is for information only and should not be reproduced.
Daphne (Peneios)
Scottish Opera, September 2023
“British bass-baritone Dingle Yandell excels, delivering the Dionysian commitment of Peneios (Daphne’s father) with a winning combination of perfect vocal pitch and humorously excessive fervour.”
Mark Brown, The Telegraph ★★★★
“Dingle Yandell brought characteristic vigour and weight to the role of Peneios.”
Simon Thompson, The Times ★★★★
"Dingle Yandell as bass water-god father Peneios made impressive impacts, Yandell outstandingly so."
David Nice, theartsdesk.com ★★★★
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus)
Glyndebourne, July 2023
"Dingle Yandell’s bass voice as Theseus is imposing."
Richard Fairman, Financial Times ★★★★★
"The opera’s final act at court is dominated by Dingle Yandell’s wonderfully full-voiced and assured Theseus."
David Benedict, The Stage ★★★★
"In the final act Dingle Yandell’s patrician presence as Theseus was matched by fine singing from him..."
Mark Ronan, The Article
"Dingle Yandell was in luxurious voice as Theseus."
Benjamin Poore, OperaWire
Bach: Mass in B Minor / Sir John Eliot Gardiner's 80th Birthday Celebration Tour
Monteverdi Choir - English Baroque Soloists, April 2023
The swerve from bass Dingle Yandell’s wonderful Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, with excellent asides from Anneke Scott’s French horn, to a sprint-like Cum Sancto Spiritu was thrilling.
Neil Fischer, The Times ★★★★★
Thérèse (André Thorel)
Scottish Opera, September 2022
Dingle Yandell’s baritone wins the prize for sheer vocal beauty, a voice that is honey-smooth and chocolaty sweet.
Simon Thompson, The Times ★★★★
...despite the absence of a large-scale production surrounding them, Justina Gringytė, Dingle Yandell and Shengzhi Ren embody these three characters as if their lives depended on it...On a stage laden with talent, special mention goes to Yandell – when he sings, everything else in the world melts away, and there is only his voice.
Kelly Apter,The Scotsman ★★★★★
Dingle Yandell scored impressively as André, an ultra-smooth bass-baritone with a generous fireside crackle to his voice...
Ken Walton, Opera Magazine
...bass-baritone Dingle Yandell as André and tenor Shengzhi Ren negotiating the at times perilously high vocal writing of Armand.
Rowena Smith, The Guardian ★★★★
La bohème (Colline)
Nevill Holt Opera, June 2022
Dingle Yandell captures both the social awkwardness and offbeat humour of the philosopher Colline. His bass-baritone is extremely assertive and impressive and his performance of ‘Vecchia zimarra’ one of the undoubted highlights of the evening.
Sam Smith, Music OMH ****
Dingle Yandell’s Colline [...] seizing his opportunity with his Coat Song, a significant marker in the downwards emotional spiral of the final scene.
George Hall, The Stage ****
Peter Scott Drackley’s Rodolfo, Christopher Nairne’s Marcello and Dingle Yandell’s Colline are all strong. This is a team of excellent young singers sensitively working together, and they make the finale truly moving.
Lorien Haynes, The Telegraph
Bach's St John Passion (Jesus)
Academy of Ancient Music, Barbican Centre, April 2022
The further into the narrative we reached, the deeper Dingle Yandell’s Christus impressed with his warmth, nobility and well-rounded voice.
Geoff Brown, The Times ****
...the outstanding Jesus of Dingle Yandell
Richard Fairman, The Financial Times ****
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Snug)
Scottish Opera, February 2022
The ensemble of Glen Cunningham’s Flute, Dingle Yandell’s Snug, Arthur Bruce’s Starveling and Jamie MacDougal’s hip-flasked Snout drew plenty of laughter from the audience.
David Smythe, Bachtrack *****
Handel's Messiah
VOCES8 LIVE from London, December 2021
Bass Dingle Yandell was a new name to me, but his agility (‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts’ for example) is really quite remarkable; his voice, too, is excellent for this repertoire...
Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard International
Fidelio (Don Pizarro)
Glyndebourne, October 2021
...there is noteworthy singing too from Carrie-Ann Williams (Marzelline) and Dingle Yandell (Pizarro).
Richard Morrison, The Times
Dingle Yandell makes a dominating Don Pizarro...
Nicholas Kenyon, The Telegraph
Evil fares better in Dingle Yandell’s steely Pizarro...
Richard Fairman, Financial Times
Much of the musical performance, on the other hand, is highly impressive: there, at least, the opera’s messages of political freedom and women’s heroism come over loud and clear, whether in the committed Leonore of Dorothea Herbert, the confident Florestan of Adam Smith, Callum Thorpe’s focused Rocco, Dingle Yandell’s taut Pizarro, Jonathan Lemalu’s warm Don Fernando or the precision of Carrie Ann-Williams’ Marzelline and Gavan Ring’s Jaquino.
George Hall, The Stage
[Leonora] is excellently supported by a superb trio of young British singers: bass-baritone Dingle Yandell as Don Pizarro, bass Callum Thorpe as the noble head jailer, Rocco, and Adam Smith as Florestan.
William Hartston, Daily Express
Don Giovanni (Commendatore)
Nevill Holt Opera, August 2021
Dingle Yandell strikes dread in his posthumous appearances as the Commendatore.
George Hall, The Stage *****
Benedict Nelson is also excellent as Masetto, as is Dingle Yandell as the Commendatore, with his voice often being amplified more than the others in the outdoors to create a ghostly effect.
Sam Smith, Music OMH **** ½
Dingle Yandell made a dignified Commendatore with a striking physical presence which he really utilised when he returned at the end, a statue vividly brought to life and sounding equally threatening.
Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill
...the ghost of Commendatore (Dingle Yandell) […] presents a powerful admonishment to the lifestyle of those who have offended.
Clive Peacock, Seen and Heard International
Dingle Yandell […] sounded and looked the part in this production.
Mike Smith, Opera Scene
...a well-chosen cast, all of whom delivered the vocal and dramatic goods: [...] Dingle Yandell's terrifying Commendatore.
George Hall, Opera Now *****
The production's great takeaway was its staging of the Commendatore's arrival, aided both physically and vocally by the towering presence of Dingle Yandell.
Mark Valencia, Opera Magazine
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