Allison Park is a northern Virginia native and started playing the cello at age 7. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in political science, and worked as a producer at CNN in New York City for three years before moving to California.

Allison grew up as a competitive cellist and auditioned her senior year for cello studios across the country, ultimately being invited to study with Hans Jensen at Northwestern University and Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory. She ended up not pursuing a cello career, but performed in school orchestra and chamber groups, as well as Low Strung, a 12-person all-cello rock band. 

Growing up, competing gave her the opportunity to perform solo with the National Philharmonic and the United States Army Orchestra, and she played in masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Lynn Harrell and Amit Peled. She was also a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and toured Europe with Valery Gergiev and Denis Matsuev.

Now, Allison enjoys practicing casual chamber repertoire and writing 12-cello arrangements of her favorite anime and video game soundtracks. You can find her reading fantasy novels, hanging out with her cat Nori or playing video games for way too long. 

allisonpark@friedmusic.com