Wynne Evans

Wynne Evans is a Welsh tenor from Carmarthen, Wales, born in 1972. He studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio, and works across opera, concert performance and broadcasting.

Opera and stage work

Evans has a close association with Welsh National Opera and sings a wide range of roles with the company, including Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Cassio in Otello, the Duke in Rigoletto, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Alfredo in La Traviata, Jaquino in Leonore, the Schoolmaster in The Cunning Little Vixen, the Chevalier in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier, the First Jew in Salome, Liberto in L'incoronazione di Poppea, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. He makes his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Vakula in Cherevichki, and later appears there in Mark-Anthony Turnage's Anna Nicole.

His other stage work includes performances for English National Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata, Spoletta and Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Second Jew in Salome; for Opera North as Fenton in Falstaff, Prunier in La Rondine and Paulino in The Secret Marriage; for Scottish Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier; for Grange Park Opera as Trufaldino in The Love of Three Oranges, the Italian Tenor in Capriccio, the Schoolmaster in The Cunning Little Vixen and Harry in La fanciulla del West; for the Classical Opera Company as Fracasso in La Finta Semplice; and for Opera Holland Park as Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld. He also performs as The Peacock in Param Vir's Broken Strings at the Almeida Theatre, in a production recorded for the BBC.

Concerts and recordings

As a concert singer, Evans appears in Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music at the televised opening night of the 2001 BBC Proms, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for RTÉ, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius at the Welsh Proms, the Verdi Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, and in recital at Wigmore Hall. He sings on three volumes of Here Come the Classics with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, records Salome and Ariadne auf Naxos for Chandos Records, and appears several times on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night.

Gocompare.com and public profile

Evans becomes widely known as Gio Compario, the operatic tenor in Gocompare.com television adverts in the United Kingdom. He also appears in a special version used in the Channel 4 Comedy Gala for Great Ormond Street Hospital, and in another version shown during the 2011 Comedy Gala. In 2004 he responds to the New Zealand All Blacks' haka by singing 'Cwm Rhondda', and later sings at more than 30 Welsh international rugby matches.

Broadcasting, recording and honours

He presents programmes for BBC Radio Wales with his brother Mark Evans, presents an Eisteddfod programme for BBC network television, and has his own television show on S4C. In 2010 he signs a six-album deal with Warner Music, and his album A Song In My Heart reaches number one in the classical album chart in the following week. He receives the MstJ from Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.

Family and charity

Evans lives in Cardiff with his wife, Tanwen, whom he marries in 1999, and their two children. His brother Mark Evans is also an opera singer, and his elder brother Huw Evans is a barrister. His wife's sister is Eos Chater of the string quartet Bond. His mother, Elizabeth Evans MBE, founds and runs The Carmarthen Youth Opera and The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen for 25 years. After her death in 2004, Evans and his two brothers found The Elizabeth Evans Trust, and he serves as a trustee of the charity.