Allison is an artist, educator, opera lover, musical theatre enthusiast, and self-described vocal pedagogy nerd. She is a member of the voice faculty at Kirkwood Community College and Coe College, where she teaches Applied Voice, Voice Performance Seminar, and Opera Workshop. Many of Allison’s students have performed in productions at TCR, and she has absolutely loved watching the incredible creative work that happens here.
Allison studied vocal pedagogy at the University of Iowa (PhD, 2013), and has presented research, recitals, and masterclasses throughout the United States and Europe. She has served on the directing teams for Trial by Jury (Kirkwood 2019), Big Fish (Kirkwood 2018), City of Angels (Kirkwood 2017), and 1940’s Radio Hour (Kirkwood 2016). Allison recently performed the role of Mabel in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance with Opera Quad Cities (June 2019). Upcoming projects include Sweeney Todd (Music Director, Kirkwood 2019) and a U.S. concert tour of “The Creative Impulse”: a program of chamber music highlighting the creative voices of female composers and poets (2020).
Approach/Style
I love the collaborative process of rehearsing a musical! The story is at the heart of every musical, and I enjoy helping singers discover the wonderful interactions between text and music. I am also very interested in finding ways that performers can make the most of their natural sound to bring authenticity to their storytelling onstage. Because I’m a vocal ped geek, I also LOVE to help singers navigate through those tricky register breaks (I’m looking at you, chest voice!) and feel more confident in their singing abilities. Every human has an amazing and unique voice, and I can’t wait to hear yours!