Biography

 

Alison Turriff is an active solo, orchestral and chamber musician. She began her serious music education at the age of 16 and two years later was offered several places to continue her studies at conservatoire level. Alison received her undergraduate degree in Cardiff, Wales at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama studying under the Principal clarinettist from the Welsh National Opera, Leslie Craven. It was here that she received a high first in her final recital and in addition to this, presented the first extended piece of writing in English about the "Traditional Music from the Catalan-Speaking Areas of Spain" as her degree dissertation. Alison was able to carry out field work in this area thanks to her being chosen to take part in an ERASMUS exchange at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona, whilst continuing her clarinet studies there under world-renowned soloists Joan Enric Lluna and Harry Spaarnay.

 

Alison has taken part in many national and international competitions with many successes, most recently at the Glasgow Music Festival where she won the Premiere award for wind and brass, the Allie Cullen memorial prize and the John Fyfe Trophy for the "most outstanding performance of the competition".

 

Alison is currently completing her Master of Music degree at Trinity College of Music, London, thanks to the generous support from the Alfred Foster Charitable Settlement, the Thomas & Margaret Roddan Trust, in addition to a Trinity College London Scholarship. As well as her solo and orchestral engagements, Alison has performed with the Andralison Trio who were selected as finalists in the Cavatina Chamber Music Competition, in which Alison also was the only wind player.

 

Alison has taken part in numerous master classes throughout the UK and abroad with clarinetists such as Phillipe Cuper (Principal clarinetist, Paris Opera), Charles Neidich (Professor, The Juilliard School) and James Campbell (Professor, Indiana University) to name but a few.

 

Most recently, Alison was invited to perform Zygmunt Krauze's Quatuor pour la naissance for his 70th birthday celebrations with Krauze, himself at the piano. As well as performing live, Alison also records extensively and recently took part in a recording of three wind Symphonies by Alan Hovhaness under the baton of American conductor Keith Brion for the publishing label, Naxos.

 

Alison enjoys playing on Buffet Vintage clarinets, with barrel and bell designed by Backun (Canada) and Craven Model mouthpiece.