John Allison is Editor of Opera and Music Critic on The Daily Telegraph. From 1994-2005 he was a Music Critic on The Times, and from 2005-2014 on The Sunday Telegraph. He has written for leading newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, and is a regular contributor to BBC Music Magazine. He is the author of two books (Edward Elgar: Sacred Music and The Pocket Companion to Opera), and has contributed articles to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and New Penguin Opera Guide, as well as several chapters to other books. He edited the Glyndebourne Festival programmes from 2000 to 2012 and now acts in a similar capacity for Wexford Festival Opera. A jury member at many international music competitions, he also co-founded the International Opera Awards in 2013.
Born in 1965 in Cape Town, South Africa, he studied there in performance, musicology and composition for his BMus and PhD degrees, and while at university was assistant organist at Cape Town Cathedral.
(photo by Justin Leigh)