From Chorus to Solo
Alison Dunne is an opera singer at the
internationally acclaimed Welsh National Opera. After studying at
the Royal Irish Academy of Music, she was offered a full
scholarship to study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Music (Opera
Pathway) at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama,
graduating in 2008. She is about to make the move from chorus to
soloist.
When did you realise you wanted to be
an opera singer?
I come from a very musical family. My dad was
an opera singer. My mother always used to tell me I should sing
too, but I was very shy so I started out by playing the double
bass. After school I went travelling until I was 21 and when I got
home I realised that I missed music. I went to a couple of singing
lessons and it sort of just happened. I seemed to have a natural
ability and the more I sang the more I loved it. Someone from Opera
Ireland heard me and put me in the chorus.
You started your studies in Ireland.
What brought you to Cardiff?
My third year in Dublin was a massive turning
point for me. World-renowned opera singer and WNO regular, Dennis
O’Neil, came to do masterclasses and I sang for him. About two
months later I got an email from him asking if I would like to
teach part of his course for young artists at Wexford Opera
Festival. From that I built a connection to here. I came to sing
for RWCMD and was offered a scholarship. Cardiff is a great place
to be - London is easy to get to from here and it’s a lot
cheaper.
What did you like about the PgDip
Music (Opera Pathway)?
The Opera Pathway was brilliant! They brought
in loads of amazing visiting lecturers - including directors, dance
coaches and choreographers. There were only six of us on the course
so you really had to give it your all, all the time. This meant I
was singing a lot which was the reason I did the course. The only
public show we did was the Opera Scenes production. My favourite
scene was from the Barber of Seville. It was just
hilarious! A real opportunity to let loose. The course was
performance based, not academic. It gave me the confidence to get
up in front of people and sing – whether I was criticised or
praised. I think you learn so much from being around other
singers.
What happened after you
graduated?
I hadn’t even finished my PgDip when I was
offered work in London with Grange Park. While I was there I was
offered a year’s contract with ENO and, at the same time, a
full-time position became available at WNO. Full-time jobs are so
scarce so I went for WNO. It’s been really amazing. I’ve had a
couple of small roles here. I played ‘second bridesmaid’ in the
Magic Flute and Kate in Madam Butterfly. I did
some cover work in Salome and I did seven performances of
Mercedes in Carmen in this season just gone. Career-wise
it’s been a really big step up on the ladder. And it’s in Cardiff
which is a bonus!
What has been your most significant
professional project to date?
The production that I’ve enjoyed the most was
the Queen of Spades. The cast and director, Richard Jones,
blew me away. All the soloists were just breathtaking - they had
chords of steel and sang perfectly every night! And there was a
huge stage crew. It was phenomenal. I stood back at one point and
thought, I’m so happy and proud to be part of this.
Can you describe a typical
day?
I normally come to work a little bit early and
warm up for about 15 minutes. When we’re in pre-production, we do
10:30am - 5:30pm, rehearsing the music in the chorus room. We all
sit together in four lines, with the pianist, language coach and
chorus master, Steven Harris, who teaches us the music. Then that’s
it – we put the books away and hopefully know it by heart! When
we’re in production, rehearsals start at 10:30. We run a couple of
scenes, either blocking it or learning the movement. We often block
from morning to evening. We’re working on Wagner’s Die
Meistersinger von Nürnbergat the moment. It’s pretty full on.
Often rehearsals go on into the evening, so my life really revolves
around the show.
What is the worst thing about your
job?
The schedule. You can’t really plan your life
and you’re always working weekends. There are a lot of late nights
and you’re often on the road. I basically live out of a bag in the
boot of my car. Fifty percent of the time it’s brilliant and but
the rest of the time it’s exhausting. I miss my family, I miss my
boyfriend and I do miss a certain amount of stability. The
discipline side of the job also gets to me sometimes. When I’ve got
auditions coming up I really have to batten down the hatches - no
late nights, no drinking, no smoking. My friends are all planning
to go to festivals – and I know I can’t be part of that. But then
they say, “I don’t want to go to work on Monday!” – and I don’t
think like that at all!
What is the best thing about your
job?
Singing for a living! This is a cool job. I
sing beautiful music - it’s exciting and uplifting! I’m lucky that
I get to do something that I’m gifted with.
What’s next?
I’m leaving WNO in August to go and work with
a company called Opera Project in London. After that, WNO have
offered me a really big cover role as ‘the composer’ in Strauss’s
Ariadne auf Naxos, so I’ll be back here for the autumn
season as a soloist. That’s until Christmas - then I’ll just do
lots of auditions and see where the world takes me!
