Allison Sanders
Allison Sanders (born c. 1990 in Birmingham) is an operatic mezzo-soprano and music educator.
Sanders is the daughter of Baptist minister Yolunda Davis. She grew up singing everywhere she went and was active in choirs at Corinth Baptist Church in Ensley. When she was around 12, she and her mother moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Allison began taking voice lessons at the Kimberly Mitchell Studio and performed regularly with theater groups and competed in vocal competitions. She won the "Miss South Fair" singing competition at the Memphis Fairgrounds.
At age 15, Sanders began studying with Janice Aiken, the wife of Opera Memphis director Steve Aiken. She was inspired by a video of Grace Bumbry performing Bizet's "Carmen" and dedicated herself to classical music. She won several competitions performing "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila". She made her opera debut at age 17 in a University of Memphis production of John Baur's opera "The Promise", based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Sanders enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed a bachelor of arts in vocal studies and a master's in opera.
Sanders moved to Homewood in 2015 and has taught at Cornerstone School and as an adjunct professor at Samford University and Miles College. She was on stage for the grand re-opening of the Lyric Theatre in January 2016, and sang the state song at the 2022 World Games closing ceremony. She has performed regularly with Opera Birmingham and starred in the one-act opera "DWB (Driving While Black)" at Red Mountain Theatre in 2023. Sanders also enjoys karaoke and has performed with the Raquel Lily Band.
References
- Cromwell, Sidney (May 26, 2016) "Music is everything." The Homewood Star
- "The World Games Conclude In Birmingham, Alabama With Extraordinary Closing Ceremony Celebrating Unifying Power Of Sport And Music." (July 18, 2022) The World Games, press release
- Daniel, Nicole S. (January 18, 2023) "How Allison Sanders Became Opera Birmingham’s Powerful One-Act Show." The Birmingham Times