William Allenby
Vocal Coach

Profile

Biography

William Robert Allenby studied on an Associated Board entrance scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music (with Derek Hammond-Stroud O.B.E.) and at the RSAMD, winning awards and prizes at both establishments. He continued his studies with the Metropolitan Opera baritone Theodor Uppman in New York.

William has forged a busy opera and concert career, gaining a reputation as a versatile singing-actor, in a wide repertoire. An able pianist, he is also in demand as a singing teacher and vocal coach to many professional singers and advanced students.

William has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera Ireland, Opera Holland Park, Mid Wales Opera, Musiktheater Transparent (Antwerp) and Iford Arts, in roles including; Dr Bartolo (Barber of Seville), Sacristan (Tosca), Alcindoro (La Boheme), Pish Tush (The Mikado), Starek (Jenufa), Duphol (La Traviata), Assan (The Consul), Somarone (Beatrice et Benedict), Monterone (Rigoletto), Stagehand (Makropoulos Case), Simone (Gianni Schicchi), Alcade (Forza Del Destino), Masetto (Don Giovanni) and Araspe (Tolomeo)- Handel. He also appeared in small roles at Glyndebourne in La Traviata, Arabella and Eugene Onegin, and at the BBC Proms, as a member of the Glyndebourne chorus at the start of his career.

In contemporary music William has sung; Wilhelm Reischmann Elegy for Young Lovers (HansWerne Henze) for ENO, Judge Parke in the world Premiere of The Blackened Man (Will Todd) at the ROH Linbury Studio, Title role The Blind Man for Alexander Goehr in Cambridge, Duke of Cornwall in the UK premiere of Vision of Lear (Toshio Hosakawa) at the ROH Linbury Studio, Teacher in Der Jasager (Grimeborn Festival), and covered Barney Bagnell in The Silver Tassie (Turnage) for ENO, and White Minister Le Grand Macabre for ENO. He also appeared in the world premiere of The Second Mrs Kong (Birtwistle) for Glyndebourne and in the UK premiere of Cornet Rilke (Siegfried Matthus) for Glyndebourne Touring Opera.

On the concert platform, international appearances at some of the world's leading Early Music Festivals include festivals in Holland, Italy, France and Belgium with the renowned Italian music ensemble, Mala Punica. He has also appeared extensively in the UK in concert and oratorio, with the Halifax Choral Society, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Ulster Hall Belfast and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh. He has been regular soloist on BBC Radio, notably 'Friday Night is Music Night'. Other radio broadcasts include Walter Raleigh in Roberto Devereux with Welsh National Opera, for BBC Radio 3. He has appeared around the UK in recital clubs, making his US recital debut in 2002 at St Mark's in the Bowery Concert Series (New York).

William is in demand as a singing teacher and vocal coach, specialising in classical and musical theatre styles. In addition to his work at University of York, he is also a visiting professional at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. He has also recently started teaching at the Junior RNCM, in addition to working with professional singers at his private studios in Manchester and London. Recent educational work includes; Visiting Professor of Singing at the Young Artists Programme of Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Senior Lecturer and Programme leader at the University of Chichester, External Assessor for Royal Holloway, University of London, Vocal tutor and assessor for SLP College Leeds and vocal tutor at the London College of Music/University of West London. In 2022 he co-wrote a training module in engaging with clients in care home and community sessions which he delivered in partnership with the Royal College of Music, the Nightingale trust and Lost Chord UK. He was also a panel member at the Royal College of Music for the Sybil Tutton trust prize in 2023.

William Robert Allenby was made a fellow of the London College of Music in 2016 and was awarded an Associateship (ARAM), for a significant contribution to the music profession in the 2019 honours list of the Royal Academy of Music.

website: www.willallenby.com