Evans was born in
Liverpool on 19 March 1915 to Florence and Thomas Herbert Evans. She was the second of their three children. She was educated at Calder High School for Girls there. After studying singing first with John Tobin and later with
Maggie Teyte and Eva de Reusz, she made her recital debut in Liverpool at the age of 18. In 1935 her father arranged a private recording of her singing by Decca and this led to her taking the part of Dido in the premiere recording of
Purcell's
Dido and Aeneas Initially a recital and concert singer, she made her stage debut in 1938 in
Arthur Sullivan's
The Rose of Persia at the
Prince's Theatre in London, which was followed by a series of small roles at
Royal Opera House. During
World War II, she sang throughout Europe and the Middle East in
ENSA concerts for the British armed forces. After the war ended, she joined Benjamin Britten's newly formed
English Opera Group. Her first important opera role was Lucretia in the 1946
Glyndebourne production of Britten's
The Rape of Lucretia. The following year she created the role of Nancy in his
Albert Herring, also at Glyndebourne, and in 1948 she sang Polly in Britten's version of ''
The Beggar's Opera''. After her retirement, Evans taught singing at the
Britten-Pears School in
Snape Maltings, and was made an OBE in 1991. She died in
Aldeburgh at the age of 85. ==Personal life ==