Internationally acclaimed Welsh soprano Rebecca Evans celebrates her 35th anniversary with Welsh National Opera this year. She will perform as Despina in WNO’s upcoming production of Così fan tutte, which opened on 24 February and is running until the 10 May.

This production marks Evans’ first performance of the role in a decade. ‘Revisiting this role has been an absolute joy’, Evans said. ‘Despina is a character that I have known for many years. I’ve had the honour of singing her at the Royal Opera House, the Staatsoper Munich, and the Staatsoper Berlin, to name but a few, and I learn something new about her every time.’

Rebecca Evans as Despina in WNO's production of Così fan tutte | Photo: Elliott Franks

Evans’ decades-long career has particularly suited her to portray Despina in this production, she believes. ‘Despina can be sung at any age, but I feel really connected to her in this production at my age. I've had experience in life, you know, and Despina has also had a lot of life experience; whether it's always been happy, who knows, I think she's learned by being an observer and a listener. And it’s really quite clear that she's very clever.

'I think, like Despina, I've observed a lot in my life. I've been in a lot of productions, and I watch people very carefully. I love studying people. I think I bring a little bit of that to this characterisation.’

'I knew when I was a little girl that this is what I wanted to do. It was burning in me'

Mozart’s operas hold a particularly special place for Evans. The catalyst for her international career she marks as her 1991 performance of Ilia in a WNO production of Idomeneo. ‘After my professional Mozart debut in Idomeneo, I was suddenly singing at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco, Chicago, Berlin, Munich, Paris, and the Royal Opera House’, Evans said. ‘Meeting people from all sorts of backgrounds and nationalities has built me as a person. It's been really incredible.’

Evans’ gratitude for her decades of singing around the world can only be rivalled by her love for her home company, Welsh National Opera. ‘I couldn't be prouder to have been associated with it for 35 years. It's a joyous place to work and full of wonderful, positive, happy people. I'm really lucky.’

She holds tremendous pride for her Welsh heritage, attributing her passion for singing to her Welsh childhood. ‘Welsh culture is running through my veins. It’s the land of song. I was brought up in a very classical music-orientated household. My mother had been an opera singer. My father was passionate about symphonic music and classical concertos of all types, really. So, I was bathed in this from a very early age. And I knew when I was a little girl, and I mean very little, that this is what I wanted to do. It was burning in me.’

Credit: Sian Trenberth

Now, in addition to carrying on an extensive performance career, Evans pours herself into the next generation of young Welsh singers. ‘I'm currently director of the Welsh Singers Competition, where we find our representative for Cardiff Singer of the World. We do our best to give them the best we possibly can in the early stages to keep them inspired, to keep the momentum going, and to keep the joy in the music.’

Evans was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Wales in 2009, and she is currently an Honorary Fellow at the of the Royal Welsh Conservatoire of Music and Drama. Her contributions to Welsh art and heritage culminated in her appointment as Commander of the British Empire in 2020. Her advocacy is rooted in her confidence in music which, she says, is a tool for progress and positivity: ‘Music is so incredibly healing. It fills people's hearts and minds with something that is not full of the ugliness and angst of our everyday world.'

Evans’ extensive career at home and abroad has given her an unwavering gratitude for opera and the power it holds. She is dedicated to keeping opera’s future bright and believes that pouring into young singers is the best guarantee for the art form’s longevity. ‘In this joyous profession, you have to look at how fortunate you've been. I have been extremely fortunate. I don't regret a note of anything I've ever sung. But then it suddenly dawns on you that it's your duty to pass the baton on to the next generation because it's impossible to sing forever. I'm particularly interested in developing and nurturing young voices, because we have to be sure that this art form continues.’

Così fan tutte is at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff until 8 March. It then tours to Llandudno (14;16 March); Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (21;23 March); New Theatre Oxford (27 March); The Bristol Hippodrome (24; 26 April) and Birmingham Hippodrome on 10 May. wno.org.uk