Sopranos Mary and Sophie Bevan talk to Alexandra Coghlan about growing up in the choir loft of a London Catholic church
If you’ve attended a classical performance in the UK during the past decade that involved any kind of singing, you’re very likely to have heard a member of the Bevan family in action.
It might have been baritone Ben Bevan at Welsh National Opera or with Bach Collegium Japan, or perhaps young tenor Dominic making waves in the Wagner Society competition at the Wigmore Hall. Or there’s been Edward performing with the Marian Consort, David singing Evensong at Wells Cathedral, or another David directing the music at Our Most Holy Redeemer Church in Chelsea.
Chances are though that it was sopranos Sophie or Mary Bevan, regulars at English National Opera and the Royal Opera and frequent soloists with many of the UK orchestras. Both singers have carved out space at the top of a small, notoriously competitive field – something that’s all the more striking because they are sisters. Speaking to them on Zoom – Sophie at home in Oxfordshire, Mary in Denmark where she’s currently in rehearsals for a project – is a window into life in an extraordinary family whose Catholicism is at the root of all their music-making.