Martin McEvoy

McEvoy broadcasts regularly on the BBC Radio 2 programme Friday Night is Music Night and was also a guest on Melodies for You hosted by David Jacobs. Also for BBC Radio 2 he sang Ko-Ko in The Mikado[13] and also appeared in Richard Baker's Grand Tour To Melody from the BBC Radio Theatre also with Richard Baker he broadcast "Arthur Sullivan Returns to Earth"[14] BBC Radio 3 relays include Tarara in Utopia, Limited, Paul Bunyan and The Fairy Queen from Sadler's Wells Theatre and Lady in The Dark from the Edinburgh Festival.[15] For Opera Rara he was in the recording of Orazi e Curiazi by Mercadante[16] As a radio presenter McEvoy has devised, written and presented several programmes for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Northampton, including Music With a Passion a compilation of rock and opera, Music From The Movies and My Favourite Things. He was a contributor on Cambridgeshire Calling a weekly arts show. He was also a contributor on The Giles Brandreth Show for LBC.

McEvoy is also on the original cast recording of Alladin by Sandy Wilson[17] He re-created the roles he played in Death in Venice at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in the film version of the opera which was directed by Tony Palmer[18] and he was also in the film of the Visconti production of Don Carlo from The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.[19]

Martin McEvoy is the founder and Artistic Director of Crystal Clear Opera. The mission statement of CCO was to make opera available, affordable, accessible and understandable to all. Crystal Clear Opera toured throughout the UK and in recognition of its work in 1992 the company was awarded an Opera Project Touring Grant for three years by the Arts Council of England. Crystal Clear Opera toured throughout the UK with productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Madam Butterfly, La Boheme, Die Fledermaus, La Traviata, Carmen, Don Pasquale and Tosca.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

London City Opera was formed by McEvoy in 1994. The company presented a new production of La Bohème on a floating stage at Portomaso Malta conducted by Roderick Brydon and designed by Joanne Lister.[28] With The Brandenburg Sinfonia LCO recorded its first C.D. Love Unspoken.[29] LCO also promoted two Christmas seasons at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank with La Boheme and Die Fledermaus. LCO also presented a four-day opera festival in the grounds of the company's headquarters at The Old Rectory, Grafham, Cambridgeshire.[30][31][32][33]

McEvoy devised and presented a series of Summer Gala Concerts at The Spa Grand Hall Scarborough. Productions ranged from Opera, Operetta and light classical to jazz and 60s rock. Artists included Lesley Garrett, Richard Baker, David Jacobs, Moira Anderson, The Halle Orchestra, The Northern Sinfonia, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. During the Scarborough season the company also presented two co-production broadcasts with BBC Radio 2, Friday Night is Music Night and David Jacobs in My Music.[34] McEvoy also devised and promoted a national tour for Lesley Garrett called The Soprano in Red.

In 1994 McEvoy acted as casting director on a new-style opera album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The two CD album Simply Opera was a compilation of some of the world's best-known operas with specially composed linking material.[35]