Allison Cook

Biography Highlights

Upcoming appearances with Philharmonia Baroque San Francisco, debut with the Zurich Opera as Brunelda in the new production of Stock-Ramati's Amerika, return to Flemish Opera, La Monnaie de Munt with Miss Jessel The Turn of the Screw, Salome, Errollyn Wallen's Dido's Ghost, a return to English National Opera as Judith Bluebeard’s Castle, a debut with Salzburg Easter Festival as Susanna Khovanshchina, Schönberg’s Pierrot lunaire with Brussels Philharmonic, and a return to Flemish Opera as Salome.
Recent apearances include Foreign Priness Rusalka directed by Àlex Ollé/Eivind Gullberg Jensen with the Bergen National Opera and with Bastian Kraft /Oksana Lyniv at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, Miss Jessel The Turn of the Screw Ivan Fischer/Marco Gandini MÜPA, Budapest and Vicenza Opera Festival, Kundry Parsifal with Pablo Heras-Casado Orquesta de Extremadura; Venus Tannhauser under Patrick Hahn, return to Gran Teatre Liceu in the title role in Casablanca's world premier L'Enigma de Lea under Gonzolèz-Granados
 

 

Marquise de Merteuil in Francesconi's Quartett directed by Alex Ollé and Valentina Carrasco under Susanna Malkki with reprisal of this role at the Teatro Colon, Vienna Festwochen, Paris Cite de la Musique, Glubenkian Foundation, Holland Festival, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan and at Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, Lea L'Enigma de Lea directed by Portaceli under Pons at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Judith Bluebeards's Castle directed by K. Trelinsky Warsaw Wielki Opera Theater and at the Enescu Festival, and at the Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, Lisbon, Schoenberg Erwartung under Alejo Pérez Opera Vlaanderen Antwerpen, Salome Jacobs/Brabbins at the ENO, Wallen's Dido's Ghost with Wake-Walker and Dunedin Consort at Barbican Centre, London & Edinburgh International Festival, The Red Queen in Barry's Alice's Adventures Underrgound MacDonald/Adès at The Royal Opera House, Miss Jessel Turn Of The Screw  Holten/Eschenbach at the Teatro alla Scala,​ Duchess of Argyll in Adès' Powder Her Face Trelinsky/Perez at La Monnaie and Warsaw Wielki Opera, Duchess of Argyll in Adès' Powder Her Face Scheib, Stockhammer New York City Opera, Woman Erwartung Netia Jones/Bronniman Bergen International Festival.
 
 

Recital with Alfredo Abbati, piano at La Monnaie, Concert M. Padmore, R. Wigglesworth Berlin Philharmonic Concert Serie,  Berio Folk Songs Bilkent Symphony, Ankara, Asian Recital Tour with the Britten Sinfonia with Britten Phaedra / Haendel / Purcell, The Red Queen in Barry's Alice's Adventures Under Ground Adès LA Phil, Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A, Bolcom Cabaret Songs Wayne Marshall Orquesta Sinfonica Castilla y Leon.

Reviews & Press

Opernhaus Zürich - Haubenstock-Ramati - Amerika - Brunelda

The other rôle with only one attribution is that of the pathetic Brunelda, a fallen diva who falls in love with the homeless man, played by the excellent Allison Cook, a seasoned performer in this repertoire

 

- Katy Oberlé , Anaclase

Allison Cook’s role is that of the singer Brunelda, who sends her twelve-tone coloratura across the room in two  grandiose quasi-solos; first a dissolving show number, then in a bathtub scene of the highest vocal presence ( to put it mildly). A tour de force through the realms of modern singing…

 

- Frank Piontek , Der opernfreund.de

Brunelda was impressively sung by the British mezzo-soprano Allison Cook with her spectacular coloratura.

 

- Michael Fisher , Seen and Heard International

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Wagner, Parsifal en Badajoz

Allison Cook, Kundry, sang with the intensity and expressive variety demanded by the complexity of the role. With resounding lower register and extremely secure top, when woken in the second act, the fiendishly difficult phrases, as if she were still dreaming, were sublimely executed. After being rejected by Parsifal, she sang the extended 'Grausamer!' passage with great dramatic effect and vocal intensity while trying to seduce Parsifal this time by means of compassion.

 

- Santiago Míguez de la Rosa , beckmesser.com

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Barcelona Liceu - Casablanca - L’Enigma di Lea’ - Lea

(...)here rendered with intensity by the outstanding mezzo soprano Allison Cook, the high spiriling vocal writing projected thrillingly, her expertise in contemporary opera evident through her balance of complex vocal lines with effective, alluring stage action.

 

- Musical Opinion Quarterly

Allison Cook also gives a tour de force performance. It’s not so much that she portrays the Duchess, rather she reincarnates her. First as a playful sex-goddess, then as a fallen angel. With a final number as gripping as the best bel canto aria.

 

- Koen Van Boxem , Tijd

Ivan Fischer Opera Company - Britten - The Turn of the Screw - Miss Jessel

Allison Cook's Miss Jessel, a dramatic soprano with a fascinating timbre and precise singing line, probably the character in which vocal quality and stage presence blended best.

 

- GB Opera

Orquesta de Extremadura - Wagner - Parsifal - Kundry

Allison Cook, Kundry, sang with the intensity and expressive varierty demanded by the complexity of the role. With resounding lower register and extremely secure top, when woken in the second act, the fiendishly difficult phrases, as if she were still dreaming, were sublimely executed. After being rejected by Parsifal, she sang the extended 'Grausamer!' passage with great dramatic effect and vocal intensity while trying to seduce Parsifal this time by means of compassion.

 

- Beckmesser

For her part, Allison Cook completed this great cast with an extremely detailed interpretation in terms of phrasing, making credible with the changes of register and colour, the dual nature of Kundry as both a seductrice and as a repentant. The timbre is beautiful and the voice runs equally well in all registers.

 

- Scherzo

Stage Highlights

At a glance: Allison Cook: news & press

2023-04-03

La Monnaie Opera House has announced season 23-24

2023-03-15

Allison Cook joins TACT

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