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The English soprano, Mary Bevan, trained at the Royal Academy Opera, and read Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic at Trinity College, Cambridge. She is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. She is a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist award and UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent in music.
Mary Bevan os praised by Opera for her “dramatic wit and vocal control” in stand out performances on opera and concert platforms. Recent operatic highlights include Elvira in Rossini's L’italiana in Algeri at Garsington Opera, the title role in Rossi's Orpheus for the Royal Opera House at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre, as well as Her critically acclaimed Susanna in W.A. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Despina in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado at English National Opera. Previously she has also sung Music / Euridice in Monteverdi's L’Orfeo with the Royal Opera House at the Roundhouse, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Harry Bicket and The English Concert, Galatea in Acis and Galatea for Iford Arts under Christian Curnyn, Zerlina in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni for Garsington Opera, and Pamina in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte for West Green House. She also created the role of Lila in the world premiere of David Bruce's The Firework Maker’s Daughter co-commissioned by The Opera Group, Opera North and Royal Opera House. As a Harewood Artist at the English National Opera (ENO), her appearances included Second Niece in Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes, Papagena in W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute, Barbarina in W.A. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Rebecca in the world premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys.
Much in demand on the concert platform, Mary Bevan recently performed Silandra in Cesti's Orontea with La Nuova Musica, Bellezza in Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno and J.S. Bach's Cantatas with Dunedin Consort (Director: John Butt), Baroque programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, a George Frideric Handel Residency week with Emmanuelle Haïm at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, J.S. Bach's Magnificat (BWV 243) with the Britten Sinfonia, J.S. Bach's St John Passion (BWV 245) with the King's College Choir, Cambridge, W.A. Mozart's Requiem with the English Chamber Orchestra, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfonica de Sevilla, and W.A. Mozart's Coronation Mass with Southbank Sinfonia. Other orchestral repertoire includes Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No.2 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, B. Britten's Les Illuminations with the English Chamber Orchestra, G.F. Handel's Messiah with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and English Chamber Orchestra; J.S. Bach's B minor Mass (BWV 232) with Ludus Baroque, J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion (BWV 244), G.F. Handel's Israel in Egypt, and a staged version of Haydn's Creation with Vocal Futures. She has also appeared at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and Spitalfields Festival. In recital Bevan has sung at the Wigmore Hall, Oxford Lieder Festival, Leeds Lieder Festival, Danube Music Festival, St John’s Smith Square and Rhinegold LIVE.
Mary Bevan begins the 2016-2017 season by returning to the English National Opera as Zerlina in Richard Jones’ new production of W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, under Mark Wigglesworth. She will also headline a tour of Asia with Harry Bicket and The English Concert, as part of the Shakespeare 400 celebrations, and sing J.S. Bach with the Academy of Ancient Music and Gabrieli Consort. She makes her role debut as Merab in Barrie Kosky’s production of G.F. Handel's Saul this season for the Adelaide Festival, and will perform Richard Ayres’ In the Alps with Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra. In recital she will appear with the Myrthen Ensemble at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musée d’Orsay, and Wigmore Hall, and will also record a solo album with accompanist Joseph Middleton for Signum.
Mary Bevan can be heard in such recent recordings as "Handel in Italy" with London Early Opera for Signum Records, G.F. Handel's The Triumph of Time and Truth and Ode for St Cecilia’s Day with Ludus Baroque for Delphian Records, Ludwig Thuille songs with Joseph Middleton, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Dunedin Consort, Ralph Vaughan Williams' songs for Albion Records, and F. Mendelssohn's complete songs with Malcolm Martineau for Champs Hill Records. She also appeared in David Starkey’s Music & Monarchy on BBC4. She currently lives in Lonson. |
