Alison Smith
About Alison Smith
Reviews and Comments
Contact Alison Smith
About Alison Smith
History
In 1995 Alison graduated with honours from Trinity College of Music London, having been awarded the Grace Wylie Thesis Prize, a college Scholarship and a Scholarship from the Mary Datchelor Trust to enable her to pursue her Post-Graduate studies. She has studied the Guitar with Gilbert Biberian and Nicola Hall, and Piano with Raymond Banning. In July 1997 she was awarded a Distinction in the Post-Graduate Performance Certificate. In September 2002 Alison was appointed Guitar Tutor at the Junior Department of The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), Glasgow.
Alison has played in masterclasses with many international performers including; Benjamin Verdery, Ricardo Iznaola, Neil Smith, Simon Dinnigan and Vladislav Blaha. Prior to college Alison received tuition from Stephen Gordon.
Now
Alison now performs nationwide and engagements include the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Norfolk Symphony Orchestra's thirty year Anniversary Celebration, St Martin in the Fields, St. James' Piccadilly, The Bolivar Hall, Kedleston Hall, the Isle of Arran Music Society, Linlithgow Arts Guild, Saltram House for the National Trust and The City of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery International Lunchtime Concert Series. Alison was also guest soloist at the Charles May Memorial Concert, Plymouth. Alison has performed at numerous classical guitar festivals including Prussia Cove, The Garcia Biberian International Summer School, the First Exeter Guitar Festival, where she also gave a lecture/workshop and most recently at The International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, Wirral. Alison also regularly performs in the Lintarre Duo with violinist Claire Chadwick.
Alison has broadcast on BBC Radio Devon and has also given a live performance on the Iain Anderson show, BBC Scotland.
Alison performs a number of new and original works. To date this includes the World Premiere, as dedicatee, of The Peace of God by the American composer Glen Morgan and Autumn Embers by Philip Buttall, the British Premiere of Roberto Sierra's Primera Cronica del Descubrimiento and Luis Morales Giacoman's Nueva York, Sepultada por la lluvia and Enterraste mis Besos.
As well as teaching the guitar at the Junior Department of the RSAMD Alison has also lectured at the Senior Academy and is involved in Outreach work including giving workshops and advising on teaching the guitar on the Isle of Lewis. Alison has directed a workshop as part of Guitarfest at the University of Strathclyde. She is also a teacher of the Colourstring method and is an adviser and examiner for Colourstring centres in London and Dublin.
At the beginning of 2004 Alison was awarded a grant from the Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust to help her purchase a new concert guitar from Christopher Dean.
Reviews and Comments
"The performance given by the distinguished classical guitarist Alison Smith at the Arts Guild concerts last Saturday evening might be summed up in one word: enthralling."
Linlithgow Gazette, Scotland (March 2003)
"Alison demonstrated sheer virtuosity in her delivery of a variety of challenging pieces. In a two set programme of works Alison's superb technique and sensitivity shone through…The Priory was full and the audience was clearly enjoying what they heard…..at the end the audience 'yelled' for more."
Official Festival Review, The International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, Wirral (November 2003)
"Alison Smith is rapidly convincing concert promoters that she is one of the most exciting and lyrical guitarists to emerge in recent years."
Nicola Hall (International Guitarist).
" Lovely hypnotic playing".
Iain Anderson (BBC Scotland.)
"…. a genuinely lyrical expression usually heard only from performers of more mature years."
Philip R Buttall (Plymouth Evening Herald, April 2002.)
" …one of the South West's most promising musicians."
BBC Radio Devon.
Contact Alison Smith
email: alison@smith99a.freeserve.co.uk
