Biography
Allison Mondel (Soprano)
Allison received her B.A. cum laude in music from Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA) in 1999, and subsequently her M.M. in Early Music
Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA) in 2003. While at Longy, Allison studied voice with Laurie Monahan
(Tapestry, Ensemble P.A.N., Sequentia) and was introduced to an entirely new approach of music-making. She discovered a new love and
inspiration: medieval music. She has engaged in extensive scholarly studies of the Montpellier and Las Huelgas manuscripts, and is a
notation and performance specialist on the chants of Hildegard von Bingen. Her interpretation of Hildegard has led her to performances in
the Boston Early Music Festival and special performances with the Ars Nova Singers (Boulder, CO) in The Passion of St. Ursula, an original
passion play based on the martyrdom of St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. She has also led teaching and coaching sessions on the
interpretation of Hildegard’s chants at the Peabody Conservatory, Williams College, and DePauw University, among others, and takes the
utmost joy in sharing her love of this music. In summer of 2010 Allison founded the Sardonyx Series, a new project based on the works of
Hildegard von Bingen attempting to bridge the gap between medieval source and modern performance.
Also during her time at Longy, Allison performed in several operatic productions, including Charpentier’s Actéo and Lully’s Le bourgeois
gentilhomme where she learned the practice of French Baroque music and gesture, as well as Jacopo Peri’s Euridice. In 2001, Allison sang
in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production of Lully’s Thesée and Rameau’s La Guirlande, presented at Jordan Hall and Tanglewood. In
2004, she sang the role of La Messaggiera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Harvard Early Music Society. The Boston Phoenix noted her
performance as "a powerful turn.”
In 2005, Allison moved from the Boston area to Williamstown, MA with the design of savoring the rural mountain landscape and cultural
offerings of Berkshire County. With her husband and musical partner Richard Giarusso she co-founded Williamstown Early Music, a local
concert series offering unique and adventurous programming. WEM performances include Bach's Johannes-Passion with two singers on a
part, Rameau cantatas, Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien, and “A Handel Gala,” a chamber music concert featuring dramatic scenes and arias
from opera and oratorio. She also sang the role of Despina in a concert version of Cosí fan tutte with The New Opera. Allison gave several
solo recital performances at the Williams College Museum of Art, including a solo chant meditation, a lute song recital with long-time
collaborator Matthew Wright, and an art song recital in conjunction with the special exhibition "Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and
Gerald Murphy," featuring songs of Poulenc, Milhaud, and Debussy.
After relocating to Baltimore from Williamstown, Allison has since moved to the Washington, DC area. She recently appeared as soprano
soloist for the Maryland Choral Society's performance of Haydn's The Seasons and Mendelssohn's Psalm 42. She sings regularly with
medieval ensemble Armonia Nova and is a professional chorister at Christ Church Georgetown. Allison has also recently joined the voice
teaching staff at the National Cathedral. She is currently a voice student of Elizabeth Daniels.
Stemming from her love of Renaissance choral music, Allison has spent many years singing professionally with various choral groups in
Boston, the NY Capital region, and the Baltimore/Washington region. For four years she served as Choir Scholar and soprano soloist at
Marsh Chapel (Boston University) in which services were aired weekly on Boston’s NPR station WBUR 90.9FM. She has also sung at the
Church of the Advent, Trinity Church Boston, the National Cathedral, St. Paul's K Street, Church of the Epiphany Tuesday Concert Series,
St. Matthew's Cathedral, the National Shrine, the Kennedy Center, and Dumbarton Oaks. A recent highlight includes performances of the
Victoria Requiem and motets of Phillippe Rogier at the National Cathedral with the Folger Consort and Piffaro.
Allison most recently presented a Baroque vocal chamber music program featuring the music of Purcell, Monteverdi, and selections from
Handel's Neun Deutsche Arien. Upcoming projects include the further development of the Sardonyx Series and the launch of new medieval
vocal trio eya (www.eyaensemble.com). This season she rejoins the Maryland Choral Society as soprano soloist in Mozart's Mass in C Minor,
as well as joining the Bach Sinfonia and the National Cathedral's chamber group Cathedra.
Allison Mondel (Soprano)
Allison received her B.A. cum laude in music from Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA) in 1999, and subsequently her M.M. in Early Music
Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA) in 2003. While at Longy, Allison studied voice with Laurie Monahan
(Tapestry, Ensemble P.A.N., Sequentia) and was introduced to an entirely new approach of music-making. She discovered a new love and
inspiration: medieval music. She has engaged in extensive scholarly studies of the Montpellier and Las Huelgas manuscripts, and is a
notation and performance specialist on the chants of Hildegard von Bingen. Her interpretation of Hildegard has led her to performances in
the Boston Early Music Festival and special performances with the Ars Nova Singers (Boulder, CO) in The Passion of St. Ursula, an original
passion play based on the martyrdom of St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. She has also led teaching and coaching sessions on the
interpretation of Hildegard’s chants at the Peabody Conservatory, Williams College, and DePauw University, among others, and takes the
utmost joy in sharing her love of this music. In summer of 2010 Allison founded the Sardonyx Series, a new project based on the works of
Hildegard von Bingen attempting to bridge the gap between medieval source and modern performance.
Also during her time at Longy, Allison performed in several operatic productions, including Charpentier’s Actéo and Lully’s Le bourgeois
gentilhomme where she learned the practice of French Baroque music and gesture, as well as Jacopo Peri’s Euridice. In 2001, Allison sang
in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production of Lully’s Thesée and Rameau’s La Guirlande, presented at Jordan Hall and Tanglewood. In
2004, she sang the role of La Messaggiera in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Harvard Early Music Society. The Boston Phoenix noted her
performance as "a powerful turn.”
In 2005, Allison moved from the Boston area to Williamstown, MA with the design of savoring the rural mountain landscape and cultural
offerings of Berkshire County. With her husband and musical partner Richard Giarusso she co-founded Williamstown Early Music, a local
concert series offering unique and adventurous programming. WEM performances include Bach's Johannes-Passion with two singers on a
part, Rameau cantatas, Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien, and “A Handel Gala,” a chamber music concert featuring dramatic scenes and arias
from opera and oratorio. She also sang the role of Despina in a concert version of Cosí fan tutte with The New Opera. Allison gave several
solo recital performances at the Williams College Museum of Art, including a solo chant meditation, a lute song recital with long-time
collaborator Matthew Wright, and an art song recital in conjunction with the special exhibition "Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and
Gerald Murphy," featuring songs of Poulenc, Milhaud, and Debussy.
After relocating to Baltimore from Williamstown, Allison has since moved to the Washington, DC area. She recently appeared as soprano
soloist for the Maryland Choral Society's performance of Haydn's The Seasons and Mendelssohn's Psalm 42. She sings regularly with
medieval ensemble Armonia Nova and is a professional chorister at Christ Church Georgetown. Allison has also recently joined the voice
teaching staff at the National Cathedral. She is currently a voice student of Elizabeth Daniels.
Stemming from her love of Renaissance choral music, Allison has spent many years singing professionally with various choral groups in
Boston, the NY Capital region, and the Baltimore/Washington region. For four years she served as Choir Scholar and soprano soloist at
Marsh Chapel (Boston University) in which services were aired weekly on Boston’s NPR station WBUR 90.9FM. She has also sung at the
Church of the Advent, Trinity Church Boston, the National Cathedral, St. Paul's K Street, Church of the Epiphany Tuesday Concert Series,
St. Matthew's Cathedral, the National Shrine, the Kennedy Center, and Dumbarton Oaks. A recent highlight includes performances of the
Victoria Requiem and motets of Phillippe Rogier at the National Cathedral with the Folger Consort and Piffaro.
Allison most recently presented a Baroque vocal chamber music program featuring the music of Purcell, Monteverdi, and selections from
Handel's Neun Deutsche Arien. Upcoming projects include the further development of the Sardonyx Series and the launch of new medieval
vocal trio eya (www.eyaensemble.com). This season she rejoins the Maryland Choral Society as soprano soloist in Mozart's Mass in C Minor,
as well as joining the Bach Sinfonia and the National Cathedral's chamber group Cathedra.
| Last Update 02/16/12 |