credit: Victoria Cadisch
Mary Bevan is one of Britain’s top emerging artists, receiving acclaim from critics and a
udiences alike for her stand out performances. In October 2014, Bevan was awarded the UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent in music.
This season Bevan sings Susanna The Marriage of Figaro at English National Opera and Music / Euridice in Monteverdi L’Orfeo with the Royal Opera House at the Roundhouse. In concert she will perform Mozart Requiem with the English Chamber Orchestra and Fauré Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as concerts with the Britten Sinfonia and Southbank Sinfonia. She will also sing Belinda Dido and Aeneas with Harry Bicket and The English Concert.
Opera engagements in the 2013/14 season included Bevan’s house debut at the Royal O
pera House, Covent Garden for Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro; Despina Così fan tutte, Papagena The Magic Flute and Second Niece Peter Grimes at ENO, her role debut as Musetta La bohème with Ryan Wigglesworth at the St Endellion Festival, Servilla La clemenza di Tito and Gerechtigkeit Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots with Classical Opera and a staged version of Haydn Creation with Vocal Futures.
Other operatic highlights include Galatea Acis and Galatea for Iford Arts under Christian Curnyn, the world premiere of David Bruce The Firework Maker’s Daughter co-commissioned by The Opera Group, Opera North and ROH2, Yum-Yum The Mikado, Barbarina The Marriage of Figaro and Rebecca in the world premiere of Nico Muhly Two Boys at ENO, Zerlina Don Giovanni and Barbarina for Garsington Opera, and Pamina Die Zauberflöte for Garsington Opera at West Green House. Mary was previously an Associate Artist of Classical Opera, with whom she has sung Tamiri Il re pastore, Thomas Arne Alfred and H
andel Apollo e Daphne.
Well in demand on the concert platform, Mary Bevan recently performed Maxwell Davies Caroline Mathilde Suite with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the BBC Proms, Mendelssohn Symphony No.2 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Stravinsky Pulcinella with the Prague Philharmonia. Other recent highlights include Handel Messiah with the English Concert, English Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh Royal Choral Union and Royal Choral Society, Bach B minor Mass for Ludus Baroque, Mendelssohn A Midsummer
Night’s Dream with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Sir Roger Norrington at the Edinburgh International Festival, Bach St Matthew Passion, Handel Israel in Egypt, Haydn Nelson Mass with the Hanover Band, Bach St John Passion at the Spitalfields Festival and Britten Les Illuminations with the ECO. A dedicated recitalist, she has appeared at the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Wigmore Hall, and Rheingold Live.
In recording she can be heard as Deceit The Triumph of Time and Truth and in Handel Ode for St Cecilia’s Day with Ludus Baroque, Vaughan Williams Symphony No.3 and Schubert Rosamunde with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under Paul Daniel, Hadley Fen and Flood with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Handel in the Playhouse, a selection of Handel duets and songs with L’Avventura London for Opella Nova Records, Ludwig Thuille songs with Joseph Middleton, and Mendelssohn’s complete songs with Malcolm Martineau for Champs Hill Records.
Bevan trained at the Royal Academy Opera, and read Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic at Trinity College, Cambridge. She is currently a Harewood Artist at the English National Opera.