Mary Bevan studied at the Royal Academy Opera with Lillian Watson and Audrey Hyland, and read Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic at Trinity College, Cambridge. She received various awards and prizes at the RAM, and was a member of the Royal Academy Song Circle, and the soprano soloist for the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series.

Mary made her English National Opera debut this summer as Rebecca in the world premiere of Two Boys by Nico Muhly. Her other operatic highlights include Barbarina The Marriage of Figaro at Garsington Opera, Despina Così fan tutte for Vignette Productions and Papagena The Magic Flute for British Youth Opera. Mary is currently an Associate Artist of the Classical Opera Company, with whom she has recently sung Thomas Arne’s Alfred and Handel’s Apollo e Daphne. At the RAM she sang Iris Semele under Sir Charles Mackerras, Despina and Emmie Albert Herring.

On the concert platform, her recent highlights include Bach St Matthew Passion, Handel Israel in Egypt, and Haydn Nelson Mass with the Hanover Band, St John Passion at the Spitalfields Festival, Messiah and Britten Les Illuminations with the English Chamber Orchestra, Christmas Oratorio, Haydn Theresen Messe and the premiere of Ireland’s Like as a Hart at Cadogan Hall, and Rutter Requiem under John Rutter at the Royal Albert Hall. While at the Academy, she performed Schütz and Purcell under John Eliot Gardiner and Messiaen La Mort du Nombre for Southbank Centre's Messiaen Festival.

Also an emerging recitalist, Mary recently sang Zekfa in Janáček’s Diary of One who Disappeared at Grimeborn Festival, a solo and also a joint recital with Sophie Bevan at the Oxford Lieder Festival, and at the Wigmore Hall with the Royal Academy Song Circle. Discography includes Fen and Flood by Patrick Hadley with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Paul Daniel for the Vaughan Williams Society and Handel in the Playhouse, a selection of Handel duets and songs with L’Avventura London for Opella Nova Records. She has also recorded Handel Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day with Ludas Baroque.

Engagements in the 2011/12 season include Barbarina at the ENO and Zerlina at Garsington Opera, Tamiri Il re pastore with the COC, studio recording of Vaughan William’s Symphony No.3 with the BBC Philharmonic under Paul Daniel, a Hugo Wolf recital with Oxford Lieder, a Mendelssohn song recording with Sophie Bevan and Malcolm Martineau, and her debut with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Sir Roger Norrington.

Mary Bevan is represented by Intermusica worldwide.
April 2012 / 408 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Tamiri in Mozart Il re pastore (concert performance)
Classical Opera Company / cond. Ian Page
“Mary Bevan sang Tamiri with idiomatic grace”
Michael Church, The Independent, November 2011

“Mary Bevan, dynamic and vocally radiant, will be a fine Pamina one day.”
Mark Valencia, ClassicalSource, November 2011

“As Tamiri, in love with Agenore, Mary Bevan sang her two arias with agility and passion.”
Nahoko Gotoh, Bachtrack, November 2011

“The part of Tamiri, the object of Agenore’s affections, was taken by a silver-voiced Mary Bevan. Mary gave a dignified and assured rendition of a role that prefigures several female roles in some of Mozart’s later mature operas.”
John-Pierre Joyce, MusicOMH, November 2011

Barbarina in Mozart The Marriage of Figaro / English National Opera
dir. Fiona Shaw / cond. Paul Daniel
“Mary Bevan shone in the minnow-sized role of Barbarina, nearly upstaging Kathryn Rudge's alert Cherubino.”
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, October 2011

“As the hopelessly hormonal teenagers, Mary Bevan’s inebriated Barbarina was a flirtatious foil to Kathryn Rudge’s hyperactive Cherubino.”
Bachtrack, October 2011

Patrick Hadley Fen and Flood
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / cond. Paul Daniel
Albion Records / ALBCD012
“Performances by soprano Mary Bevan and baritone Leigh Melrose in Fen and Flood are excellent”
Jeff Dunn, San Francisco Classical Voice, September 2011

“The two singers, Mary Bevan and Leigh Melrose, gave a most worthy performance of this thoroughly British piece, just like the singers themselves. The picturesque element, which the composer himself dreaded, resonated nonetheless in a very touching manner.”
Lionel Rouart, Forum Opera, November 2011

Rebecca in Nico Muhly Two Boys
English National Opera / cond. Rumon Gamba / dir. Bartlett Sher
“Brian has fallen online for manipulative Rebecca (the delightful Mary Bevan)”
Stephen Prichard, The Guardian, July 2011

“Mary Bevan, in the difficult and somewhat elusive role of Rebecca, matched Spence in assurance and vocal confidence, whilst also conveying a richness of tone colour, and a sense of fragility and shade”
Stephen Graham, Musical Criticism, June 2011

Despina in Mozart Cosi fan tutte
Royal Academy Opera / cond. Jane Glover / dir. John Cox
“Mary Bevan was a musically accomplished Despina.”
Clare Colvin, The Express, December 2010

“Mary Bevan’s Despina was of a similar class to Jenkins’s Fiordiligi: not at all irritating, and more rounded a character, musically as well as on stage, than we often experience.”
Mark Berry, www.musicweb-international.com, November 2010

“Mary Bevan played the cynical fast-talking Italian maid Despina to perfection.”
David Karlin, Bachtrack, November 2010

Despina in Mozart Cosi fan tutte
Vignette Productions / cond. Graham Ross / dir. Andy Staples
“The victim here was Mary Bevan's Despina, bruised in love but brimming with sparkle, already a sophisticated comedienne and an elegant Mozartian.”
Anna Picard, The Independent, August 2010

“Only Mary Bevan — exuding star quality as Despina — has the presence to cut through the bumph and entertain us.”
Kieron Quirke, Evening Standard, August 2010

“Mary Bevan’s transformation from Despina into a Gina Lollobrigida-like doctor was unforgettable.”
Michael White, Daily Telegraph, August 2010

Barbarina in Mozart Cosi fan tutte
Garsington Opera / cond. Douglas Boyd, dir. John Cox
“Note her younger sister Mary too, tenderly moving in Barbarina’s little aria.”
Geoff Brown, The Times, June 2010

Emmie in Britten Albert Herring
Royal Academy Opera / cond. Nicholas Kok / dir. John Copley
“Note too... the bright promise of Mary Bevan, sparkling as one of the capering children, Emmie.”
Geoff Brown, The Times, March 2010

“Mary Bevan made such a big impression as the juvenile Emmie, she came close to stealing the show. Twice.”
Michael White, Catholic Herald, March 2010

“…the children were outstanding. Mary Bevan, recent winner of the valuable Richard Lewis Award, was "luxury casting" as Emmie.”
Serena Fenwick, Musical Pointers, March 2010

“There were some excellent contributions from the delightful young trio of Mary Bevan (Emmie), Tess Bevan (Cis) and Joseph Beesley (Harry). Apart from their singing, the youngsters also amazed me with the precision of their ball passing (while, of course, singing).”
Agnes Kory, Musical Criticism website, March 2010

Iris in Handel Semele / Royal Academy Opera
cond. Sir Charles Mackerras / dir. Anna Sweeney
“Mary Bevan’s ditzy blonde Iris was a striking performance”
Peter Reed, Opera Magazine, January 2010

“Mary Bevan as Iris, the goddess of Discord, was also a true joy to listen to. Her first aria 'There from mortal cares' was sung with just the right touch of irony and provocation. Judging this aria and the many recitatives which Ms Bevan was involved in this is also clearly a talent to watch. Ms Bevan’s truly beautiful soprano voice allied with a sound technique bodes well for the future.”
Calvin Wells, Opera Britannia.com, November 2009