Alison Wells

BA, ARCM, FHEA

Vocal Studies professor

Alison Wells was born in Yorkshire and read Maths and Music at Royal Holloway before a postgraduate year at the Royal Academy of Music as a pianist.

She started her career as a singer with a Park Lane Group Young Artists’ Recital at the Purcell Room and has since had a distinguished performing career as a contemporary music specialist, appearing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Gemini, Lontano, and many other ensembles, tackling some of the most challenging repertoire and giving many first performances.

Alison joined the vocal staff of the Royal College of Music in 2016, having previously taught at Trinity Laban for 15 years. Recent student successes have been the winner of the 2016 Ferrier Competition, winner of the Maureen Lehane competition in 2018, winner of the Emmy Destinn Competition 2019, winner of the song prize in the Ferrier Competition 2020, Winner of the Royal Overseas League singers section 2021, winner of the Handel Competition 2021 as well as finalists in the Wagner Competition, Maureen Lehane Awards and Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. Her students have gone on to roles at LAPhil, Berlin Deutsche Oper, Longborough Festival Opera, Garsington, as well as Britten-Pears Artists, and Glyndebourne Chorus. Alison has been teaching for many years and has built up a busy private studio of young professional singers.

Faculties / departments: Vocal Studies