BIOGRAPHY
Photo: Sian Trenberth
REPERTOIRE
Welsh soprano, Llio Evans, gained a first class honours degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before going on to receive an MA with distinction from the Wales International Academy of Voice. A winner of numerous awards including Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize, Dame Anne Evans Award, and the Russell Sheppard Intercollegiate Award, Llio is a British Youth Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera alumna and a former Alvarez Young Artist at Garsington Opera where she recently received the Leonard Ingrams Award.
This season Llio looks forward to making her Opera Holland Park debut as Josephine in HMS Pinafore, a co-production with Charles Court Opera. She will also be singing the role of Bea in the UK premier of Three Decembers for Opera Della Luna. She has recorded the role of Y Fon in Stephen McNeff and Gruff Rhys' new opera 2117/Hedd Wyn for Welsh National Opera (produced by Tŷ Cerdd) which is to be released in August 2022.
Highlights in recent season include Celia Iolanthe for English National Opera; Iris Semele for Garsington Opera; Melanto Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and Zerlina Don Giovanni for Longborough Festival Opera; The Little One in the UK premiere of The Golden Dragon (Peter Eötvös) for Music Theatre Wales; and Cilla in Waxwings for English Touring Opera. Other operatic roles include Phyllis Iolanthe (Charles Court Opera); Musetta La Bohème (Opera d'Amore); Clorinda La Cenerentola (HighTime Opera); Blonde Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Pop-Up Opera); Yum-Yum The Mikado, Gretel Hansel and Gretel (Co-Opera Co.) and Susanna The Marriage of Figaro and Pamina The Magic Flute (Opera’r Ddraig). Roles covered include Despina Così fan tutte and Mimi Vert-Vert (Garsington Opera); and Ilia Idomeneo (English Touring Opera). Llio can be heard singing the role of Barbe on the Chandos studio recording of Arthur Sullivan's, The Beauty Stone, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Rory Macdonald.
Equally in demand as a concert artist, Llio has appeared on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and S4C. Highlights include soprano solo in Janáček The Danube (BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Otto Tausk, for BBC Radio 3); soloist and presenter for BBC NOW's Christmas Classics From Around The World (conducted by Adrian Partington for BBC Radio Wales; soloist for The 26th London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs (Royal Albert Hall); Mendelssohn Elijah (St John's Smith Square, Three Choirs Festival with Philharmonia Orchestra), Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Leicester International Music Festival with Mark Simpson and Katya Apekisheva), Bach Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Ensemble Cymru) and Arwel Hughes' Gweddi with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes for BBC Radio 3. Llio is also an accomplished recitalist having performed recitals for Garsington Opera, Cardiff Music Festival, Swansea Music Festival, Llandeilo Music Festival Conwy Classical Music Festival, and Ensemble Cymru.
During lockdown Llio wrote parodies (in English and Welsh), translations of songs as well as original material for the National Eisteddfod, Noson Lawen, Gŵyl Gerdd Dant and Charles Court Opera. Llio is currently the president of the Brecon and District Male Voice choir.
Please contact Steven Swales for an up to date biography.
OPERATIC ROLES:
BRITTEN
Strawberry Seller, Strolling Player, French Girl, Dutch Lady Death in Venice (covers - Garsington Opera)
DOVE, Jonathan
2nd Apple Little Green Swallow (British Youth Opera)
EÖTVÖS, Peter
The Little One The Golden Dragon (Music Theatre Wales)
HANDEL
Iris Semele (Garsington Opera)
HUMPERDINK
Gretel Hänsel und Gretel (trans. David Pountney - Co-Opera Co.)
IVES, Charles & Mark
Cilla Waxwings (English Touring Opera)
MOZART
Blonde Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Pop-Up Opera)
Despina Così fan tutte (cover - Garsington Opera)
Ilia Idomeneo (cover - English Touring Opera)
Pamina Die Zauberflöte (trans. Stephen Fry - Opera's Ddraig)
Zerlina Don Giovanni (trans. Amanda Holden - Longborough Festival Opera)
OFFENBACH
Mimi Vert-Vert trans. David Parry (cover - Garsington Opera)
PUCCINI
Musetta La Bohème (Opera D'Amore)
RAVEL
La chauve-souris L’enfant et les sortilèges (trans. Kathareine Wolff - RWCMD)
ROSSINI
Clorinda La Cenerentola (trans. Felicity Green - High Time Opera)
SULLIVAN, Arthur
Barbe The Beauty Stone (BBC NOW, Chandos)
Celia Iolanthe (English National Opera)
Phyllis Iolanthe (Charles Court Opera)
Yum-Yum The Mikado (Co-Opera Co.)
OPERA SCENES:
BEETHOVEN
Marzelline Fidelio (RWCMD)
BRITTEN
Flora Turn of the Screw (RWCMD)
Tytania Midsummer Night's Dream (RWCMD)
DONIZETTI
Adina L'elisir d'amore (WIAV)
Norina Don Pasquale (RWCMD)
MOZART
Papagena Die Zauberflöte (WIAV)
Zerlina Don Giovanni (British Youth Opera)
ROSSINI
Clorinda La Cenerentola (British Youth Opera)
STRAUSS, Richard
Sophie Der Rosenkavalier (RWCMD)
VERDI
Nannetta Falstaff (WIAV)
Oscar Un ballo in maschera (WIAV)
ORATORIO/CONCERT SOLOS:
BACH, J.S.
Christ lag in Todesbanden
Magnificat
Mass in A Minor
Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Coffee Cantata)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9
FAURÉ
Requiem
GOUNOD
St Cecilia Mass
HANDEL
Dixit Dominus
The Messiah
HUGHES, Arwel
Gweddi
HAYDN
Creation
Missa Cellensis in Honorem
Missa Sancti Nicolai
Nelson Mass
JANACEK
Danube Symphony
MAHLER
Symphony No.2 'The Resurrection'
MENDELSSOHNN
Elijah
Oh for the wings of a Dove
MOZART
Exsultate Jubilate
Regina Coeli K.108
Requiem
Vesperarae Solennes de Confessore
PERGOLESI
Stabat Mater
POULENC
Gloria
ROSSINI
Petite Messe Solennelle
SCHUBERT
Der hirt auf dem Felsen
STAINER
The Daughter of Jairus
VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS
Pastoral Symphony
VIVALDI
Dixit Dominus
Gloria