 She was born Evelyn Natalie Caine in Hoylake in Cheshire and was educated at St Felix School, in Southwold, Suffolk.She enrolled in the Royal College of Music in 1928, initially to study piano and composition, but was captivated by the oboe playing of Sylvia Spencer, a student of Leon Goossens, who promptly took her on as a student.In 1931 she won a scholarship and was soon playing solo part in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, conducted by Adrian Boult.