Alison Stephens – classical mandolin

Alison Stephens is arguably the leading exponent of the classical mandolin in the UK. She was the first graduate of mandolin from Trinity College of Music, London, and was appointed as a teacher upon graduation. Alison has played across the UK and has toured across the Far & Middle East, Australia, South Africa, across Europe and in the USA.

She has also frequently broadcast and recorded live for radio including BBC Radios 3 and 4, Classic FM, ABC (Australia), SABC (South Africa) and BBC Radio Scotland. She also presented her own BBC Radio 4 feature which was subsequently nominated for a Sony Award.

Recent highlights have included recitals at Kent, York, Warwick, Reading, Hull and Durham Universities and Dartington International Summer School; Concerto performances with the Southern Orchestral Society, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, the KZN Durban Philharmonic and the Slovak Chamber Orchestras; and solo recitals at the Warwick, Edinburgh and Bury St Edmunds Festivals.

In addition to solo recitals, Alison regularly gives concerto performances and recitals in duo with Craig Ogden (guitar) or with Lauren Scott (harp) as Duo Mandala and also with Steven Devine (fortepiano/piano).

Recordings include: Music from the Novels of Louis de Bernières (CHAN9780) with Craig Ogden (it was pick of the week in The Daily Telegraph and Chandos’ fastest ever selling classical CD), Mandolin Concerto in G by Hummel (CHAN9925) with the London Mozart Players (Howard Shelley), also on the Chandos label; Tapestry (BBM1088), a CD of evocative British contemporary music for mandolin and harp (nominated for Editor’s choice in The Gramophone), on the Black Box label and Con Espressione (AS05), a solo CD dedicated to the Italian Romantic era. A new CD dedicated to the works of Raffaele Calace (1863-1934) for mandolin and piano (Steven Devine) incl. the two virtuosic concertos for the combination was released in Aug 2007 on the Naxos label.

As well as the Louis de Bernières CD, Alison has worked on several other projects in connection with Captain Corelli’s Mandolin including a sell-out stage show which has so far notched up well over 500 performances in several different countries and over 100 different venues. She also played on the soundtrack for the Hollywood film starring Nicholas Cage.

For further information, please visit www.alisonstephens.com

Alison Stephens clearly loves this instrument and plays it with a passion and flair that Captain Corelli himself would doubtless have relished.
BBC Music Magazine

Stephens is great to watch. Evidently in love with her two mandolins she talks of them as close friends. She plays them brilliantly, achieving the almost impossible.
Martin Parker, The Scotsman

with such an easygoing manner, and witty mix of anecdote and fact, she is always guaranteed to keep her listeners spellbound throughout….. with the sheer virtuosity and wide dynamic range, to the breathtaking use of instrumental colour.
Philip R Buttall, Plymouth Evening Herald

Virtuoso makes new friends for the mandolin…. The great technical demands were impressive and richly illustrated the player’s enormous capacity.
Peter Kooij, Die Burger (Cape Town, South Africa)

Alison Stephens is an intelligent mandolinist whose musicality creates lines that unfold with clarity and logic. In her hands, the mandolin ceases to be a monotone instrument of isolated virtuosity and becomes its fully-complex self. Her tone is lovely, her technique flawless, and her poise exquisite. This is absolutely the finest recording of the Hummel Concerto I have ever heard, and one that does the mandolin proud.
Marillyn Mair, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

Alison Stephens gave us interpretations presented with the sort of understated skill that is the hallmark of soundly based musicianship……faultlessly executed rapid tremolo…..elsewhere she demonstrated mastery of tonal light and shade.
Neville Cohn, The West Australian

Soloist Alison Stephens has captured the market in mandolin performances of late but in this expressive performance of a tough piece she effortlessly justifies her workload (her cadenza in the Rondo is an especial treat).
Mark Walker, Amazon.co.uk (on the Hummel Mandolin Concerto CD)

…her many fine performances and recordings have established her as Britain’s leading classical mandolinist, and her latest CD "Con Espressione" eloquently proves just what a fine solo player she has become…….performing them with a light and enviably effortless touch……require a fine technique to make them sound as light and graceful as they do here……
Paul Sparks, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

with such an easygoing manner, and witty mix of anecdote and fact, she is always guaranteed to keep her listeners spellbound throughout….. with the sheer virtuosity and wide dynamic range, to the breathtaking use of instrumental colour.
Philip R Buttall, Plymouth Evening Herald

wonderfully fleeting-fingered……magic mandolin playing.
London Evening Standard

Rousing performances indeed...an accomplished performer with outstanding fingerwork and an excellent sense of timing…her solo passages were beautifully played…
Stavros Anthias, Kwana (Durban, South Africa)