BA(HONS), DIP(LCM), EVT(ADV)

Alana Shirley is an elite vocal coach, certified voice expert and award winning vocalist. Having trained at Bird College, she holds a first class honours degree in Singing Performance & Education, and a Diploma in Musical Theatre with the London College of Music. She is the winner of the BBC Fame Academy Musical Theatre Award, and most recently the VLUK Tutor of the Year 2020. Alana is a certified Vocal Health First Aider, ensuring the safety, wellbeing and longevity of her singers and their careers.

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With a strong passion for vocal technique, Alana holds an Estill for Singing Teachers Certificate, Estill Levels 1 & 2 - Compulsory Figures & Voice Qualities Certifications, as well as the Advanced Estill Certificate, awarded in Helsinki, Finland.

 

Established in 2006, ASA Theatre Arts has enabled her to coach hundreds of singers through private lessons and as part of the full time courses offered. Her personal, genuine and professional approach allows students to sing with undeniable freedom, confidence, skill and enjoyment. Alana has assisted students in gaining countless places at almost all of the top London theatre schools, including Urdang, Bird, Laine, Mountview, Performers, Masters, Arts Ed, Central School of Speech and Drama, Tring, East 15 and GSA, to name but a few, and continues to achieve the very highest exam and academic grades within her school.

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Combining her love for singing with her love for travel, Alana's voice has enabled her to visit six of the seven continents – Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and even (her proudest passport stamp) Antarctica. Alana has worked extensively within the UK and abroad – performing, coaching and leading workshops, and continues to be very present in the industry today, performing as part of The D-Day Darlings.

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​Notable credits include:

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• Singer - D Day Darlings - Britain's Got Talent - ITV - Jubilee Special Guests

• Singer - Good Morning Britain Christmas Special - The D-Day Darlings, UK

• Lead Singer - Man in the Mirror - Niagara Falls, Canada

• Singer - Fred Olsen Boudicca - D-Day 75 Celebratory Cruise - Normandy, France

• Lead Singer - Broadway Christmas Wonderland - Biloxi, Mississippi

• Singer - The Great Escape Concert - Hammersmith Apollo, West End, UK

• Lead Singer - Dancing Queen - Monte Carlo Sporting Club, Monaco

• Lead Singer - Broadway Christmas Wonderland - North American National Tour

• Grace Valentine - Hooray for Hollywood - UK Tour

• Singer - Sabaton Open Air Festival - Falun, Sweden

• Soloist - Chris Evans' Carfest - The D Day Darlings - Hampshire, UK

• Soloist - Amanda Holden - Private Event - The D-Day Darlings, UK

• Lead Singer - 'Home' Yacht Launch - Amsterdam, Holland

• Lead Singer - England Cricket Board Awards Night - Leeds, UK

• Jean - Songs that Won the War - UK Tour

• Lead Singer - Dancing Queen - Norwegian National Tour

• Lead Singer - Dancing Queen - Chinese National Tour

• Ensemble - BBC Proms: Sondheim at 80 - Royal Albert Hall, London

• Lead Singer - Broadway Rocks - Silversea Cruises (Jean Ann Ryan Productions)

• Lead Singer - Cabaret - Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, P&O Cruises

• Alice Fitzwarren - Dick Whittington - Brick Lane Music Hall, London​

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Alana was privileged to performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of the BBC Proms series, broadcast live on BBC2, from London's Royal Albert Hall. She was proud to share the stage with Dame Judi Dench, Bryn Terfel, Maria Freidman and Julian Ovenden as part of a special celebratory concert marking the 80th birthday of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Meeting Stephen Sondheim was a real dream come true. Recently, she has performed for the the England Cricket Team's annual award's ceremony, the Rolex Masters Tennis Championship, Princess Anne, The Sovereign Prince Albert of Monaco, Wentworth Golf Club, Amanda Holden & Stephen Sondheim, and recently appeared on Good Morning Britain and Heart FM with Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston.

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Alana has headlined her own one-woman show for P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Princess Cruises, performing with a live orchestra of up to 16 instruments.. Following her extensive cruise work, she appeared as a guest on the TV show Cruising with the Stars on the Sky Holiday Channel.

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As one ninth of vintage vocal groups 'The D Day Darlings', Alana regularly tours the UK and abroad, performing at a wide variety of high profile events. Following the groups success on Britain's Got Talent, their album 'I'll Remember You' (Sony Records) peaked at number 5 in the UK charts over the VE Day celebrations. The group are proud ambassadors of The Dame Vera Lynn Charity and continue to raise money for both the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity and the Royal British Legion. Most recently, they appeared on the BGT Jubilee special, performing as guests in the finale.

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Alana is credited on the Nintendo Wii U game 'SiNG PARTY' (FreeStyle Games/Activision), where her voice was used to generate the game's intricate scoring system; a process which took over 18 months.​ Other studio work includes Ministry of Sound dance track Till We Meet Again (Rekelectrik feat. Alana), which received Radio 1 airplay from DJ Pete Tong and charted at number one in his Essential Selection Chart. The song featured on albums 'Ministry of Sound Housexy' and 'Digital Angel'.

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ASA Theatre Arts is Alana's true passion and dedication in life (aside from her husband and son Arthur). Her objective is to ensure that every student leaves each lesson with a dramatic improvement to their skillset, sense of achievement, boost of confidence, belief in themselves and a smile. The provision of full-time training has been a long-term goal of Alana's, and she endlessly endeavours to create the training, guidance and support she wished she had aged 16. Find out more about our courses HERE.