Bassoon
Alison combines soulful and lyrical playing with stirringly characterful evocations to form a varied playing career currently focused in and around London.
Alison has performed as a bassoonist and contrabassoonist across the UK, the Nordics, Europe and Australia. They have a particular connection to the Lapland Chamber Orchestra in Finland as Acting Principal Bassoon, but have also had contracts with the Tasmanian Symphony and Opera Australia Orchestras. Alison is currently on trial for Principal Bassoon with English National Opera, and has also trialled with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
As a soloist, Alison performed Bach with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra in their 2024 Spring season, and Mignone’s Waltzes at the Islington Chamber Festival in addition to featuring as a soloist in multiple films. Recent chamber music engagements include Ensemble 360 (Sheffield), St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble and the Corelia Project, and the world premier recording of Sebastian Fagerlund’s ‘Autumn Equinox’ Octet.
Alison studied with Joost Bosdijk, Sarah Burnett and Andreas de Flammineis at the Royal College of Music. Their contrabassoon professor was Martin Field. Previous teachers and mentors include Matthew Wilkie, Noriko Shimada, Todd Gibson-Cornish and Andrew Barnes.
Teaching
Alison finds great joy in teaching, and has done so for more than a decade. As well as honing students’ technical skills, Alison encourages them to explore how they think about music, and to consider the way that they emotionally relate to their playing.
Alison has tutored for the Royal College of Music Junior Department, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Australian Youth Orchestra and NSW Arts Unit. They currently teach bassoon privately and at the London Youth Conservatoire.