Amy Evans

Amy Evans (24 October 1884 – 5 January 1983) was a Welsh soprano and actress known for her performances in oratorio, recitals, and opera. She also made some music recordings beginning in 1906. In 1910, she played the leading role of Selene in W. S. Gilbert's last opera, Fallen Fairies and sang at the Royal Opera House the same year and thereafter. She played Princess Helena in A Waltz Dream at Daly's Theatre in 1911.

After Evans married Scottish baritone Fraser Gange in 1917, the two frequently performed together in concert and on tour, moving to the United States in 1923. In 1975, at age 91, Evans gave her last performance. Living to the age of 98, she was one of the last surviving cast members of a W. S. Gilbert production.

The birthplace of Amy Evans is variously given as Ynyshir or nearby Tonypandy, Wales. While not of upper-class descent, Evans came from a home less humble than accounts of her ancestry often suggest. The usual description of her father, Thomas Vaughan Evans, as a coal miner, although not altogether inaccurate, somewhat understates his standing; he was an official in the Naval Colliery Company. Moreover, Amy was the product of a musical household in which singing was valued, as her mother, Leah, and her grandmother both were active and recognised as church singers.

Besides general studies at her local board school, Evans had some early singing lessons with Ivor Foster. In 1896, she began vocal studies with David Lloyd, organist and choirmaster of St. Andrew's Church in Tonypandy and a recognised pianist in South Wales. In recognition of Evans's musical promise, local benefactors inaugurated a fund to further her musical education. In 1899, at age 14, Evans won the soprano prize at the Welsh National Eisteddfod in Cardiff, Wales for a performance of "Hear ye, Israel" from Mendelssohn's Elijah. Presenting her with the award was the celebrated Welsh tenor Ben Davies, who described her as "a great natural singer" and foretold a stellar future for her, assuming "proper training".

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