The Elizabeth Evans Trust –
Grants and Bursaries
for Performing Arts
in Wales
Laura-Beth began her career with the Shirley and Mandy Morris Dance School at the age of 3. She started singing at the age of 8, and is an Associate of the London College if Music and a successful teacher in her own right.
Prior to entering drama school, she was the musical director and choreographer of the Ultimate Stage Company, a youth group based in the Cynon Valley in Wales. She has performed with theatre groups across South Wales, and has sung with Peter Karrie on several occasions.
She is currently studying at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
Elizabeth Donovan was born and educated in South Wales, and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. Her awards include being a Prizewinner in the 2006 Concours International de Chant de Toulouse, a Prizewinner in the 2007 Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition and winner of the 2002 Welsh Singer Competition. In 2003 she represented Wales in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Elizabeth was a Welsh National Opera Associate Artist from 2003 to 2006 and was the first recipient of the Marjorie Gill Award as well as the WNO Chris Ball Bursary and the WNO Sir John Moores Award. Roles for the company include Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, First Lady in The Magic Flute, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Flowermaiden in Parsifal, Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and also a concert performance of Brigitta in Iolante at the 2005 BBC Proms. Other roles include Leila in Les Pecheurs des Perles for Chelsea Opera Group.
Operatic roles this season include Constanza in The Abduction from the Seraglio for English Touring Opera and Norina in Don Pasquale for Diva Opera. Future plans include Clorinda in La Cenerentola for Scottish Opera.
Elizabeth will join the National Opera Studio, London in January 2008.
Gary Griffiths hails from Pembrey and initially trained as an actor at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. He currently studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under David Pollard.
A regular on the recital stage he has recently performed at the Ludlow English Song Weekend with pianist Simon Lepper and at the Chipping Campden Music Festival with Joel Harder. In May he made his BBC Radio 3 debut, performing on ‘In Tune’ with Iain Burnside. Other events include a recital of Schumann’s Liederkreis op.24 directed by Graham Johnson, Durufle’s Requiem with the Orchestra of St Johns and a dramatised song performance directed by Iain Burnside at Bishopsgate Hall, London. This summer he attended the Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, USA, where he worked with Edith Wiens and Malcolm Martineau.
His extensive oratorio performances include Haydn’s Nelson Mass, The Creation and The Seasons, Brahms Requiem, Faure Requiem, Dyson’s The Canterbury Pilgrims and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Competitions include 2nd prize at the London Young Welsh Singer of the Year, and finalist at the Young Kathleen Ferrier Awards and the MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of Year.
Future engagements include Faure’s Requiem at All Saints Church, Llanelli and a series of solo recitals in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and New York as part of the Pontarddulais Male Voice Choir’s tour of the USA. In spring 2008 he will make his Barbican Hall debut in a recital of Benjamin Britten songs. Gary is generously supported by the Elizabeth Evans Trust.
Iwan has recently been accepted into the Guildford School of Acting studying Musical Theatre.
Iwan's first role in musical theatre was with the Carmarthen and District youth opera's 2004 show, Singing in the Rain, playing the part of Don Lockwood. Since then Iwan has performed in a number of shows throughout the UK, including Les Miserables on 3 occasions (Longborough Festival Opera, Llandovery College and MJ-UK productions) playing the role of Marius. Other shows include Sound of Music (Captain Von Trapp); Oklahoma; West Side Story (Action); We Will Rock You (Galileo) and The Secret Garden (Dickon).
Iwan has recieved vocal coaching from opera singers Mark and Wynne Evans and is extremely grateful for their help. Iwan hopes to have a professional career in Musical Theatre and is very appreciative to the Elizabeth Evans trust for helping him on his way.
Originally from Neath, Elen is currently attending a postgraduate course at the Royal Academy of Music in London under the guidance of Mateja Marinkovic and Mayumi Fujikawa. She achieved a first-class honours degree from the Royal Academy of Music in 2007.
She has played in numerous orchestras, including the Philharmonia, BBC NOW, NSO (principal 2nd), European Union Youth Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, Chamber Orchestra of Wales and has been leader of the NYOW for three years.
Elen has won the Russell Shepherd Memorial Scholarship and is supported by the Craxton Memorial Award and the Elizabeth Evans Trust.
Emily-Jane Thomas was born in Cardiff. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2007 (1st class Honours), where she studied with Theresa Goble.
Emily played ‘Juliet’ in Britten’s The Little Sweep (S4C television broadcast 2001) and ‘Paquette’ in Welsh National Youth Opera’s 2006 production of Bernstein’s Candide. Her recital experience includes the soprano solo Tippett’s Spirituals from A Child of our Time (National Youth Choir of Wales, 2005) and Haydn’s Creation with Sir David Willcocks.
In September, Emily-Jane will return to the Guildhall School to study for her Masters degree, kindly supported by the Guildhall School and the Elisabeth Evans Trust.
A native of Carmarthen, Owain took his first musical theatre steps under Liz's guidance at the Lyric Theatre in the CDYO's 2002 production of My Fair Lady, playing the role of Freddy. He continued with the company for the next two productions: Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik - for which he was awarded the Owen Picton Award for outstanding performance), and Les Miserables (Marius). He then attended Warwick University to study a law degree, and became heavily involved with the drama, musical theatre and dance societies; credits include: Clockheart Boy (Springs), Cymbeline (Arviragus), Return to the Forbidden Planet (Cookie), Honk! (Drake), Fame (Joe Vegas), The Wild Party (Black), We Will Rock You (Britney), Copacabana (Tony), The Rocky Horror Show (Frank N. Furter), A Chorus Line (Director), Chicago (Director), as well as choreographing for the university street dance society, and providing vocals for the university jazz band.
Owain has also performed on the Edinburgh Fringe stage for two years, gaining 5-Star reviews in Kenspeck Theatre's production of Putting it Together (Man 2), and Echo Productions' Songs for a New World (Man 1), as well as playing the role of Tony at the RSC's Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon Operatic Society's produciton of West Side Story. He is now studying Musical Theatre under the tuition of Mary Hammond and Karen Rabinowitz at the Royal Academy of Music and is extremely grateful to the Elizabeth Evans Trust for their support.
Click here to see the 2006 Bursary Recipients names and biographies
Email: The Secretary