Kyla Allan

I grew up in Lake Macquarie in a family of music lovers and have fond memories of sing-alongs on car trips to Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Eva Cassidy and Dire Straits. Being a shyer soul, I was always tentative to sing in front of people, but always knew that I loved it more than anything!

When I was seven I joined the fantastic Waratah Girls Choir and enjoyed singing with the choir until I was sixteen. In high school, I began my first private singing lessons with a wonderful, inspiring singing teacher who encouraged me to sing not only the songs I knew I loved but also to explore new genres to see what my voice was capable of. Whilst I had dabbled with both violin and piano lessons in primary school, singing lessons were what always excited me most and something I found myself eager to practice and learn more about. They were a way for me to use my voice to show who I was and a place for me to feel the most like myself. Long story short, music and singing has been at the centre of my life ever since.

After high school, I auditioned for music schools around Australia and was accepted into what was then considered the best university for Classical Voice, so made the move to Perth to study for a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In my first year at WAAPA, I was awarded the Michelle Robinson scholarship for most outstanding first-year student (which helped me buy my first car!) and graduated with High Distinction in the top one percent of graduates.

After university, I successfully auditioned for a position in the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust program. I spent the following year undertaking intensive, specialized, post-graduate training through an individually tailored mentorship program guided by leading industry professionals. It was an invaluable year that not only advanced my development as a classical musician but also helped to launch my singing career.

After my year with Melba I was cast in the Opera Australia Schools Touring Company so spent two years introducing tens of thousands of kids around NSW to their first operas and driving a big truck full of sets and costumes through Sydney peak hour! I was then asked to join the Opera Australia Chorus and have since performed in over thirty productions at the Sydney Opera House with the company, either casually or full-time.

I was also successful in auditioning for The Seven Sopranos and over the years have had some incredible opportunities through my involvement with the group. We recorded and released two albums where I learnt an enormous amount about recording as well as what’s expected in photoshoots and music video shoots. Our first album, released by ABC Music reached #2 on the classical charts and the music video for our second album has over a million views on YouTube. We performed twice at the televised ‘Lord Mayor’s Carols’ in Brisbane and on two classical-music-themed cruises with ‘Bravo! Cruise of the Performing Arts’. I also travelled extensively with the group, including a tour of Australia and New Zealand as well as being flown to Dubai, Singapore and China for corporate events and festivals.

Alongside my opera performance, I spent five years as the singer and drummer for the Country-Folk band Whistle Dixie and was introduced to a whole new world of music (and cowboy boots)! The band played three times at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, twice at the Groundwater Country Music Festival, we travelled all the way up to the Gympie Music Muster and down to the NSW/VIC border for the Deni Ute Muster. We toured Queensland, including playing at Eat Street and the iconic Leftie’s Music Hall and did ticketed shows at Lizotte’s Newcastle as well as opening several times for Diesel and for The Black Sorrows.

Rewinding a bit, the year after I first graduated from WAAPA I began pursuing another dream I had held since I started having singing lessons myself which was to start vocal teaching. I began teaching at home but have since also worked as a Peripatetic Voice teacher at Avondale School and Heritage College Lake Macquarie. I had always dreamed of becoming a professional singer, but equally dreamed of having the opportunity to help other singers on their journeys and it has become a wonderful, rewarding part of my life which I love! I have had the great pleasure to continue teaching whilst pursuing my singing career over the years and I love learning and growing by continuing to perform and teach concurrently. I am constantly so inspired by my students and I never, ever want to stop learning!