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The English soprano, Alison Ponsford-Hill, began singing as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral under Dr Richard Seal. In 2006 she graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, where she sang under the direction of Richard Marlow whilst completing a Geography degree. She continued her studies at King’s College, London, where she undertook a Masters degree on climate change whilst continuing to build her musical career. She also studied with Ashley Stafford and Philip Doghan in London.
Alison Ponsford-Hill is a soloist, ensemble singer and teacher throughout the UK and abroad. She sings with several world class ensembles including the Monteverdi Choir (Director: John Eliot Gardiner), The Tallis Scholars (Director: Peter Phillips) and Polyphony (Director: Stephen Layton), The Sixteen (Director: Harry Christophers), Tenebrae (Director: Nigel Short), Retrospect Ensemble (Director: Matthew Halls), Stile Antico, La Grande Chappelle, and Alamiré. She has performed in many of world’s top concert halls, frequently appearing as a soloist with these groups. She is also a member of Galán; a soprano vocal trio with harpsichord and theorbo who were Brighton Early Music Festival’s Young Artists.
Alison Hill's solo performances include Monteverdi's Vespers in Salisbury Cathedral, Milton Abbey and Winchester Cathedral, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, W.A. Mozart's Requiem in St Martin’s in the Field, George Frideric Handel's Messiah at St John’s Smith Square and Salisbury Cathedral, Cambridge Early Music Festival with The Parley of Instruments and more unusually, folk singing for the Irish show Riverdance in arenas across Europe and America. In 2008, she performed John Rutter's Requiem in Winchester Cathedral for The Bach Choir and toured with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and The Monteverdi Choir performing and recording as a soloist in venues such as The Royal Festival Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. In 2014, she made her solo debut at The Wigmore Hall for Retrospect Ensemble. Such step out roles have included singing solos in G.F. Handel's Israel in Egypt on a tour with the Monteverdi Choir, appearing as a soloist at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in a programme of JC Bach cantatas and again singing solos in the Queen Elisabeth Hall with The Sixteen. She also regularly performs as a soloist across the UK, with notable performances including Monteverdi’s Vespers in Winchester Cathedral, J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 in Salisbury Cathedral and being nominated for a Gramophone Award for a recording of Herbert Howells' Sine Nomine with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Other past performances include Pie Jesu from Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with The Bach Choir, Der Freischütz by Weber at Opéra Comique with The Monteverdi Choir and a recital of G.F. Handel’s Nine German Arias at the Tower of London.
Alison Hill is a well-respected teacher; she taught at Westminster Under School and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School for a number of years and now teaches at Eton College and University College, Oxford. She has also enjoyed working with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir. Ali spent nearly ten years working for the charity Songbound, which she helped to set up, running choirs for disadvantaged children in India. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, Simon Ponsford, and their two young daughters. |
