REBECCA EVANS

Rebecca Evans was born in South Wales, and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has already established a major operatic career in America where she has sung Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) for the Santa Fe Opera; Adele (Die Fledermaus) for the Chicago Lyric Opera; Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Ann Trulove (The Rake’s Progress) and Adina (L’Elisir D’Amore) for San Franciso Opera; and both Susanna and Zerlina for the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

In Europe, her roles have included Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Zdenka (Arabella), Servilia (La Clemenza di Tito) and Ilia (Idomeneo) for the Bayerische Staatsoper; Ilia for Opera de Lausanne; the title role of ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ for Scottish Opera; Susanna, Ilia, Marzelline (Fidelio), Norina (Don Pasquale) and Hero (Beatrice and Benedict) for Welsh National Opera; Romilda (Xerxes) for English National Opera; and Zerlina and Nanetta (Falstaff) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Future operatic engagements include Ilia at the Netherlands Opera; her first Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) in a new production for the Welsh National Opera directed by Ninagawa; Susanna at the Bayerishe Staatsoper; and a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Nancy (Sweeney Todd).

Her concert experience is extensive and includes appearances at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival; Gala Concerts with Andrea Bocelli in Germany and with Luciano Pavarotti in Britain; and a Gala Concert to celebrate the opening of the Welsh Assembly in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales. She has performed the Bach ‘Magnificat’ with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; Brahms ‘Requiem’ with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate at the Tanglewood Festival; and Schumann ‘Faust Szenen’ and Brahms ‘Requiem’ at the Ravinia Festival. She has also appeared in Australia at the Melbourne International Festival and on a concert tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Her recital engagements include the Wigmore Hall, London; and the Barcelona, Ravinia and Belfast Festivals. She sang Belinda in the BBC film of ‘Dido and Aeneas’ (later released on CD and Video), and her discography includes ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, ‘HMS Pinafore’ and ‘Trial by Jury’, all with Sir Charles Mackerras; Nanetta (Falstaff) with John Eliot Gardiner; ‘Hugh The Drover’ for Hyperion; a solo recording of Italian songs for EMI; Delius ‘Requiem’ for Chandos; and Finzi ‘Die Natalis’ for BMG Conifer. She hosted her own television series ‘A Touch of Classics’ with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on BBC1 Wales.

June 2003 / sw