We are excited to attend Alison Skinner’s first set of concerts as the new choral director for the Sierra Master Chorale and Orchestra — under the In-Concert Sierra umbrella — this afternoon.
Alison was appointed Sierra Master Chorale’s director in January. She follows SMC’s founding choral director Ken Hardin, who stepped down after SMC’s Holiday 2018 performances. Alison’s bio is here:
“Alison Skinner grew up in California in a musical family, with many instrumentalists, singers and music appreciators. Singing Christmas carols- in parts – was a family tradition at the holidays. A third-generation choral conductor (her grandmother and aunt before her), she has always felt like conducting is ‘home.’
“She started her musical training at the piano but quickly moved onto singing and has been singing in choirs since elementary school. Alison sang with every conductor she could during her years growing up in Davis and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in vocal performance.
“She then went on to study with Alan Harler at Temple University in Philadelphia, and earned a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Temple.
“Before returning to her hometown of Davis in 2008, Alison lived in Philadelphia where she was the Artistic Director of the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware, taught high school music at Germantown Friends School and was the assistant conductor of Philadelphia’s Choral Arts Society.
“For the past ten years, Alison has been conducting choirs in Northern California. She is the Artistic Director of the Davis Chorale, the Music Director and choir conductor at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, and is thrilled to have been appointed the choir director of SMC.
“Aside from conducting choirs, she spends time with her children, hikes, swims and occasionally has time to cook.”
Here’s a video of Alison discussing the Davis Chorale:
Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report 