Dr Alison Talmage, of Auckland, MNZM for services to music therapy and seniors
Dr Alison Talmage is a registered music therapist, educator, and academic and co-founded the CeleBRation Choir at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. The Choir uses singing to restore communication, confidence, and wellbeing for people living with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or dementia, and has become an exemplar for therapeutic choirs in New Zealand. She founded a second community music therapy choir, Sing Up Rodney and published ‘The VOCCAL Handbook – a Toolkit for Neuro Choirs’. Her research contributes to international understanding of music therapy and ageing. She is a Board member of Music Therapy New Zealand and advocates for equitable access to music therapy.