Alison McNeill

Alison began her musical career as a first study violinist at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Junior Department leading the Chamber Orchestra before making her singing debut with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall at the age of sixteen. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Alison completed both her Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Masters in Performance under a scholarships from the RCS Trust and ABRSM.She went on to refine her artistry in Spain under the guidance of the legendary mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza, winning the prestigious Andrés Segovia Prize for Spanish Song — the only non-native Spanish speaker ever to receive the honour. Immersed in the rich tradition of Spanish music, Alison was mentored by world-renowned pianists Miguel Zanetti, Miguel Ángel Arqued (Teatro Real), Jorge Robaina, Julio Muñoz, and Antonio Parejo, as well as the celebrated guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, shaping a deep and enduring connection to the Spanish classical repertoire. A recognised specialist in Spanish Song, Alison has premiered works by leading Spanish composers Antón García Abril and Teresa Bretal at the National Auditorium of Galicia and the Atheneum in Madrid, and performed in the Manuel de Falla Auditorium (Granada), as well as in the homes of celebrated composers Joaquín Rodrigo and Manuel de Falla.

In partnership with world-class guitarist Sasha Savaloni, Alison has given acclaimed performances at the St Magnus International Festival (Orkney), premiering works by Stuart MacRae and Marco Ramelli, and at Madrid’s Clásicos en Verano Festival, recorded for Spanish National Radio. The duo has featured on BBC Radio Scotland’s Classics Unwrapped, appeared at The Big Guitar Weekend, and collaborates with flamenco dancers and cajón players, exploring the meeting point between classical and flamenco traditions.

As an experienced and sought-after recitalist, Alison McNeill has performed internationally in venues including The Lyre and Minami Aizu Concert Hall (Japan), The International Music Centre (Vienna), The Juung Vocal Series(The Hague), El Cosmovitral (Mexico), and throughout Spain and the USA, where she completed a five-state tour with the contemporary vocal quartet Scottish Voices led by composer Graham Hair. She also collaborated with the late Jane Manning on a research project exploring Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and has recorded a forthcoming disc with pianist Toni James.

Her UK concert work includes Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne with the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, Haydn’s Scots Songs at the Cantelina Chamber Music Festival (Islay), and oratorio performances of Beethoven’s Mass in C, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and Dona Nobis Pacem, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Brahms’ Requiem, Charpentier’s Te Deum, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang, Haydn’s The Seasons, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Goodall’s Every Purpose Under the Heaven (Scottish Premiere), Zelenka’s Magnificat in D, Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, Howard Blake’s The Snowman (RSNO), and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Scotland.