Classical Music
Scottish Soprano Alison McNeill graduated in 2008 with a BMus Honours from the RSAMD where she was awarded the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Peter Mooney scholarships. In a glittering career Alison has made many concert appearances throughout the UK, Holland, Spain, America and Mexico.
Alison has a particular passion for the research and performance of Spanish Song and has had the great honour of studying the interpretation of this genre with Teresa Berganza in Spain. Alison's flair for this music has seen her receive invitations to perform at the Interpretation of Spanish Song Festival (Granada), at the house of composer Joaquin Rodrigo (Madrid), Project Espanola Festival (Granada and Madrid) and at the Kunstkring in Den Haag (Holland).
Alison has enjoyed successful concert performances in Mexico for the past three years with El Sol de Toluca describing her voice as "extraordinary".
She has performed with Renaissance Ensemble Ditirambo, La Cameraderia and has given recitals with guitarist Javier Hernandez Tagle . Alison also teaches at "Cuerdas y Canto", an International Festival in Toluca promoting the repertoire of Guitar and Voice and has appeared on Spanish and Mexican Television and Radio.
UK engagements include Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne with the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, Haydn's Scots Songs with Cantelina Chamber Music Festival on the Island of Islay, Handel's Messiah and Charpentier's Te Deum in Glasgow Cathedral, the Brahms Requiem, Vivald's Gloria, Zelenka's Magnificat in D, Rutter's Feel the Spirit, and the Chichester Psalms with the BBC SSO, conducted by Martyn Brabbins and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio Scotland.
Alison sings with the female voice quartet, Scottish Voices, conducted by Dr. Graham Hair and performed her first series of concerts with the group in April 2009 - a four state tour of America which culminated in a recording of works by living composers Dr.Graham Hair and Prof. Bruce Mahin.
As a fine interpreter of Scots Song, Alison is one half of the Duo Celtic Magic and has sung in Charles Rennie Macintosh's House for an Art Lover, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and her recital of Celtic Music with harp in Hafton Castle led to the recording of "Celtic Magic", a collection of songs from around Celtic Britain accompanied by harpist Eleanor Holley. Alison also performed with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers in the Burns an' a' That Festival and in Glasgow City Chambers on the night Glasgow was announced as host city of the Commonwealth Games.
Future engagements include Bach's Wachet Auf! in Glasgow Cathedral's Christmas Concert and a research project and performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire headed by renowned soprano Jane Manning and Professor of Glasgow University Graham Hair. Alison will be returning to Mexico next Summer to give recitals with guitarist Javier Hernandez Tagle and concerts of Latin American music with La Cameraderia. Upon receiving two scholarships Alison will start a Masters in Performance at the RCS (Royal Conservatiore od Scotland) under the tutelage of Wilma MacDougall in September.
Alison is Vocal Coach for the notably successful Inverclyde Junior Choir who have been finalists in Choir of the Year Competition and who frequently perform in top venues around the UK.