Betty Allison
Assistant Professor
Email: betty.allison@dal.ca
Mailing Address:
- Voice (Vocal Pedagogy, Performance, and Vocology)
- Musicians' Performance Health
- Opera
Education
- BMus & BEd – University of Victoria
- MMus – University of Victoria
- Artist Diploma – Indiana University
- DMA – University of Toronto
Research and Creative Activity:
Teaching artist and soprano, Dr. Betty Allison is "[a performer with] great theatrical presence and vocal sophistication, gifted with a commanding dramatic soprano voice." A graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, major credits include the world premiere of Mary’s Wedding with Pacific Opera Victoria, the title role in Floyd’s Susannah with Florentine Opera, Alice in Verdi’s Falstaff with L’Opèra Thèâtre de Metz Mètropole, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Edmonton Opera.
Betty has performed a varied repertoire, demonstrating her natural ability and talent, from the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), to Vixen (Cunning Little Vixen) and Elizabeth I (Gloriana). She is equally comfortable on the concert stage, with her rich and florid interpretation of pieces such as Mahler’s Symphony VIII, Brahms’ Requiem, and Gubaidulia’s Galgenlieder À 3.
Recently, Betty completed her doctorate at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on the connection between a singer’s voice and their overall wellness and resilience. Specifically, her thesis, Voice-in-the-World: An Exploration of Mid-Career Opera Singers’ Non-Musical Stressors and Coping Strategies, examined the non-
musical stressors and coping strategies that elite singers use to maintain their voices and careers.
Teaching music has always been Betty’s passion and calling. Over the course of her performance career, she has continued to teach privately and remain involved in music education and outreach activities. She is the co-founder and teacher for an intimate summer voice training program in BC, using a process-based learning approach, designed to nurture and cultivate aspiring singers’ development in classical voice. (https://islandsummermusicintensive.ca)
Teaching
- Voice I-IV, classical and CCM, including Performance Stream
- DalOpera Ensemble Director
- Vocal Literature (MUSC 3177)
- Previously taught: Vocal Pedagogy and Vocology (MUSC 3176), and History of Opera (MUSC 3314)
Recent Awards and honours
- Sheila K. Piercey Award for Performing Arts Educators, Dalhousie University, 2022
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2020
- Hnatyshyn Developing Artist Grant, 2013