Allyson Bennett is an American soprano studying under Jane Eaglen at the New England Conservatory pursuing a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance. She specializes in operatic arias and Lied. Recently she has earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and a Liberal Arts minor in German studies from New England Conservatory.
Allyson's passion lies in performing strong operatic roles; most recently she appeared as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème and Valletto in Monteverdi's L’incoronazione di Poppea with NEC’s undergraduate opera studio alongside additional opera scenes credits. Allyson participated in competitions and won awards including the 1st place prize for Classical Vocal Performance in the Pottstown Rotary Performing Arts Scholarship Competition. She also placed as Runner-Up for Best Schumann piece and Second Runner-Up for Artist of the Year 2017 with the Greater Composers Competition International. Outside of operatic appearances Allyson is an active recitalist. She was a featured soloist in many concerts, most recently performing Dvořák's "Song to the Moon" with the New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds and performing Ian Wiese's new work (2019) "Aus Liebe". An avid lover of the many genres of classical vocal music, her repertoire expands from the Baroque to present day compositions.
This profile was last edited May 31st, 2020
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Interview with Allyson Bennett, soprano
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am especially proud of my performance as Mimì in La Bohème. We were never able to formally perform the opera due to COVID-19 shutting down the production, and were only able to give an open/livestreamed dress rehearsal a week before we were meant to perform. It was my first full run through of the opera with staging. I allowed myself to let go of my fears and nerves to focus entirely on the character and give the best possible performance under the circumstances.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently in the process of learning and perfecting "Tu, tu, tu" from Madam Butterfly and "Stridono lassù" from Pagliacci.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Analog takes longer to read, even if by a second. Work smarter not harder.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise to provide the best quality performance possible, in terms of not only clarity in the recording but also in my musicianship and vocal technique.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I create something that allows an audience to feel and think.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "How quickly can I get this?" The answer always varies, but if it is a piece I already know I can get the piece to a client as fast as 2-5 days, sometimes sooner.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I cannot provide accompaniment to myself. I am only able to provide an acapella voice track.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have a specific piece in mind? What emotion or message are you looking to transmit through this music? What will this be used for?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Know what kind of sound you're looking for. Not every opera singer sounds the same. Some of us provide different sized vibratos or a timbre completely different from our colleagues. Be sure to know when you are looking for straight-toned classical singing or a full-vibrato'd sound.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: PC, monitor, mic, webcam, and wifi is all I would need.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My career path is still to be determined. I am currently earning my Master's in my field and have been studying the art form for over 4 years now.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: While I am always looking for ways to develop and grow in my style, I typically enjoy singing with a Romantic flair, even outside of that era of music.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Nadine Sierra. Her positive attitude and the truth she brings forward in her songs and professionalism inspire me. She teaches young singers to never compromise who they are in their art and I admire her greatly for that. It would be an honor to work with a soprano as hard-working and lovely as she.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't record with your iPhone voice memos.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Strong operatic roles are my passion and where I typically devote my attention to. However, I absolutely adore recital work and make sure to work on my art songs as well. I currently am working on pieces in Italian, German, English, French, Russian, and Czech. My favorite composers to sing are Puccini, Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is my German. I minored in the language during my undergraduate and have studied the grammar and diction extensively. While there is always room for improvement, I feel that this is a strong skill to offer when presented German arias and Germanic Lieder.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring my own artistic interpretation. I am unafraid to add to a piece of music to convey emotions better. Additionally, I have a degree in vocal performance and can deliver high-quality voice technique and language skills in my performances.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I typically record anywhere between 3-10 times per piece and chose the best raw music files to present to the client. I then edit to be sure as little outside noise is present as possible and deliver the product as soon as possible.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio setup is modest at the moment. I have a PC, a medium-quality mic, a 1080px webcam, Adobe Audition, and high quality headphones.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: In no particular order, these are singers whose music has inspired me: Angel Blue, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Maria Callas, Stephanie Blythe, Enrico Caruso, Jessye Norman, Nadine Sierra, Hermann Prey, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bryn Terfel, Juan Diego Florez, Kiri Te Kanawa, Franco Corelli, Anna Moffo, Eric Owens, and Birgit Nilsson
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Typically, I provide operatic arias in the form of acapella vocal mp3 files. I have also done choral work as well as beginner voiceover acting.
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Turn around time varies project to project. Price is always negotiated between the artist and the client based on material and labor required. Allyson typically provides an acapella voice track in mp3
