Carole Alston

Alberta “Pearl” Johnson

Right after completing her studies (Dance, Acting and Voice) at the Howard University College of Fine Arts in Washington Carole was engaged to Switzerland and undertook tours to Berlin (Theater des Westens), Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern, Cologne, Paris, Graz, Linz and Vienna.

Carole played leading roles in several musicals as in Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (Kate), in A.L. Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene), Mitch Leigh’s Der Mann von LaMancha (Aldonza) or in Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble In Tahiti and West Side Story (Anita) – Seeing her, Mr Bernstein raved: “My God, you are fabulous.”

Carole appeared in theatre pieces as well as with classical and contemporary music, Jazz, Gospel and Blues on radio and television. On stage she performed with artists from Karl Schönböck to David Hasselhof, from Harry Neuwirth to José Carreras.

After years of touring – e.g. with Bernstein’s Mass – Carole settled in Vienna. Besides teaching she has sung at the Volksoper, in the Karajan Center, the Wiener Musikverein and the Linzer Brucknerhaus. In Vienna she also performed two contemporary pieces composed by Nancy van de Vate Cocaine Lil and Venal Vera.

In 2000 she choreographed, staged and played the part of Nell in Ain’t Misbehavin – The Fat’s Waller Musical.

At the Wiener Kammer Oper she performed the role again (under the direction of Giorgio Madia), as well as the role of Julia in the European premiere of the A Cappella Musical Avenue X in 2005.

As jazz vocalist, she first appeared with Erich Kleinschuster, to present performances in Jazzland, Birdland, Porgy and Bess, the Salzburger Jazzherbst and other events.

In 2006 Carole performed in her own piece on the remarkable and all-too-brief life of Billie Holiday in Vienna’s English Theatre and her last program Ladies You’re On in Birdland and Jazzland.

Since then Carole not just started to do some recording at the studio, after many years of touring – especially in the 80’s – Carole started again to travel at least a little bit. The result were fine concerts in Istanbul, Praha, Warszawa, Istanbul and several cities on Canada’s east coast and some touring with the great Fritz Pauer Trio.

Beside all that, Carole also loves to teach at the Staatsopern Ballettschule (Jazz dance), at the Landeskonservatorium Klagenfurt (Vocals) and several workshops during the summer months.