Photo: Opera Primadona Alison England on the cover of Classical Singer Magazine.

Q: Do you live a normal life, being a diva? How does an Opera superstar like yourself spend a normal day in her life?                      Alison: Normal days are such blessings really! And these happen because of my WONDERFUL partner and friend, my man; and when my daughter comes to visit. Being in a REAL relationship grounds me. Coming home to a great meal and the smell in my kitchen. Having my daughter here and doing the daily things; baths; bedtime stories; playing in the park; putting on a bandage; talking about dogs and being silly, silly! We LOVE to be silly; all of us! Crazy moments when you are just stupid and wild and you dance around making up songs or saying crazy things! Then most important...quiet time. Reading, pondering, waiting...resisting the insistence of the world to go at a hell bent pace that leaves everyone in the hospital anyway! Calm music; a deep, profound kiss.                  Q: What is and what is not an ordinary life for you, Alison?               Alison: Honestly?! I cannot run around all the time like I used to when I lived in the States! I felt so driven all the time and felt it was my DUTY to be busy and run and take every opportunity, even if it pushed me to exhaustion!  "But REALLY!" I finally told myself...."If God really IS God.... why am I running around like a chicken with the head cut off pretending I AM God and doing all the work! Relax! Wait! Stop!" And you know what? When I finally had the courage to stop running...THINGS CAME TO ME!   

                                                

Photo: The majestic American Soprano, Alison England, the world of opera newest greatest sensation. 

Q: Is Alison England your real name or a stage name?                 Alison: It is my real name! I have never changed it even with marriage! It is great, yes?! I appreciate my parent's choice very much!                                       Q: Tell me about your wardrobe. Do Opera singers shop differently for their stage and grande galas affairs?                                                                                    Alison: I do have a closet for gowns and dinner events and parties. Jewelry! Pant suits of velvet -comfortable formal clothes! I love to dress up, every little girl does! How nice to do it when you are a big girl! My everyday wear is also who I am in my nature in that I favor scarves and shawls that drape over me and bold colors and big earrings. Also collars that turn up and shoes that have curves in the heel and special toes....pointed or square with buttons or spots. Hose are fun too ..like fish-nets and big holed socks! This is VERY                                     Q: And how about you, Alison, do you go for all the glitters, the sequences, the velvet, the beads?                                            Alison: YES!! In my One Woman

Q: Any big Opera project for Paris, London, New York?  Alison: For starters. The Merry Widow  in and around Paris! An Opera called GREEK out of Vienna! Opera, B'Way and Beyond in Paris too!                                      Q: Some folks are telling me you walked out on the America Opera. Is it true?                                      Alison: WHAT? Can you hear me laughing from here? NO! NO! NO! What I left was a saturated market that, for a time, thought it knew all about me and wanted to discount the talents given me because I was in my 30's! This happens with many artists even though we are like wine, better with. Dare I say, oh, hell, you fill it in! And honestly, I have always wanted to come to Europe and it felt like the right time  this for many reasons! I adore American Opera; have worked in it a lot and have been very blessed! I plan to be there when the right project happens for sure!                                                         Q: Are you a calm diva or a bursting one? You know what all those who worked with Opera stars, say and think about Prima Donne? They are difficult to work with? True?                                                                         Alison: NO, I can be both, but I am more a bursting one, to use your words, but bursting with joy and the appreciation of what I am doing. Bursting with thanksgiving when the orchestra roles out its first notes and one goes crazy with the sheer beauty of the sound! Bursting with laughter when there is fun or a moment really inspired and extraordinary. In the past, there have only been 2 times that I was annoyed and I bursted briefly to adjust the situation because it warranted that, and then we all apologized and we dropped it! Have never been a yeller because there are a lot of great singers that can take your place that are kind. In fact, the bigger they are the more honest and even and down to earth I find. And yes, all kinds of Divas can be difficult! It isn't pretty but, in the defense of my colleagues, there are sometimes that the only way to be heard is to say HEY STOP! Just as long as it is not a constant, to me , then there is no problem!                                                                        Q: How easy going are you?                                         Alison: Very. My tendency is to be hard on MYSELF. Which I am giving up for Ramedan AND Lent!                   Q: Your voice is so rich and vivacious. Sweet and tender. Classy and even folk. Have you ever considered singing pop?                                                                    Alison: Yes absolutely! In fact, I have done a cabaret act using my voice and recorded certain pop, rock, and cabaret pieces.  What I LOVE about pop or cabaret for example is its immediacy of communication in the text! The nakedness of feeling; the directness and the use of a mic! I LOVE creating a mood. A trained voice can do this without damage especially on a mic. In my show, I use ALL kinds of music and the audience is bowled over by the range and also by how accessible an opera voice can be - or rather an opera singer singing this type of music. Q: What would be a perfect question to end this brief chat with you?                                                         

Alison: "How does one face the down times and the empty times?" I find that everyone loves to hear how great it is for the other guy, but in truth, EVERYONE is looking for answers about how to get through their day! Isn't that true?!