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Allison Cook

About this Artist

With an extraordinary versatility and vocal range seldom found, ALLISON COOK has made a number of important debuts in recent seasons, including at Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Festwochen, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, and Teatr Wielki, as well as the expansion of her original mezzo repertoire to include roles such as Marie in Wozzeck, the Duchess of Argyll in Powder her Face, the title role in Kaija Saariaho’s Émilie, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, and Schoenberg’s Erwartung.

Allison Cook created the role of the Marquise de Merteuil to great acclaim at Teatro alla Scala in the world premiere of Luca Francesconi’s Quartett, with subsequent performances for Cité de la Musique, Holland Festival, Strasbourg Festival, and Gulbenkian Orchestra. In her debut as the Duchess of Argyll in Jay Scheib’s critically acclaimed production of Powder Her Face for New York City Opera, Allison Cook made this role her own, and has gone on to further performances in Québec, Brussels, and Warsaw.

Other recent highlights have included Kaija Saariaho’s monodrama Émilie at Salzburger Landestheater, in which she was praised as “downright phenomenal,” and her role debut as Judith in Mariusz Treliński’s production of Bluebeard’s Castle for Teatr Wielki, as well as her first performance of Erwartung at the Bergen International Festival, directed by Netia Jones.

The current season features two world premieres: Gerald Barry’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground conducted by Thomas Adès, with the LA Phil New Music Group at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and with the Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican in London, and Kasia Glowicka’s Only My Pen Tolerates My Choices in recital at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. Allison also returns to Teatro all Scala in her role debut as Miss Jessel in Kasper Holten’s production of The Turn of the Screw and makes her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as the Marquise de Merteuil. In concert Allison joins the Britten Sinfonia for The Dream of Gerontius and Phaedra in Aldeburgh.