Alison holds a Doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Kansas, Lawrence and a Master’s degree from U.S.C., Los Angeles in bass performance. Her professional conducting experience includes music director positions, assistant conductor positions, has been a conductor of youth symphonies, and has guest conducted various professional groups including 10 years as conductor of Brass Night and on various chamber concerts at the Breckenridge, CO summer music festival. Her academic conducting experience includes a year as interim Director of Orchestra at Iowa State and for Rock Valley College, IL and for 4 years as conductor of the chamber orchestra at Illinois’ largest college, the College of DuPage. In addition, she has served as a clinician and guest conductor for music associations throughout the Midwest and for the Chicago Bass Festival. During her doctoral studies she received assistantships from both the orchestral and jazz departments where she worked and studied with British conductor, keyboardist and recording artist Brian Priestman and with jazz educator, arranger and composer Dan Gailey. She has also received fellowships and won positions for conducting seminars through the League of American Orchestras, Chorus America, the Conductor’s Institutes in South Carolina (in opera) and at Bard College, NY.
Her performance experience as a bassist includes serving full-time as principal in Tulsa, OK (8 years), a Tanglewood fellowship, an Aspen Music Festival scholarship, was co -principal with the National Repertory Orchestra for 2 summers and won a substitute audition with the St. Louis Symphony. She has also performed chamber music in the United States and in Europe and has been a featured soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra, Tulsa Philharmonic, Breckenridge, CO Festival, and Rockford, IL Symphony
