Sydney recorder player Alana Blackburn completed her Bachelor of Music (performance) degree with First Class Honours in 2004 from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. After being awarded a University of Sydney Postgraduate Award in 2005, she holds a Master of Music (performance) degree specialising in Contemporary Japanese Compositions for Recorder under the instruction of Hans-Dieter Michatz.  
Alana has been awarded scholarships and bursaries for every year of her undergraduate and postgraduate studies including; the Mary Patricia Bell Grant for outstanding achievement, the John Ellyard Memorial Scholarship, the Margaret Henderson Award and Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships. 
As a performer, she has performed throughout Australia as a soloist and with ensembles; Salut! Baroque, La Folia, The Sydney Consort, The Bell Shakespeare Company, The Tall Poppeas, and appeared as a guest soloist with the Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble. She has toured North West NSW with various ensembles from the ensemble department of the Conservatorium including Bellatrix: The Australian Recorder Quartet, as well as touring New Zealand and recording a CD with Australia's leading youth recorder ensemble Batalla Famossa. 
Alana has had lessons and master classes with such recorder icons; Walter van Hauwe and Paul Leenhouts (Netherlands), Eva Legene (USA), David Bellugi (Italy), John Tyson (USA), Piers Adams (UK) and Ashley Soloman (UK).
Alana is currently lecturing in teaching techniques at the JMC Academy, Sydney and also appears regularly as a tutor at recorder and orchestral workshops around Australia including the Sydney Recorder Society meetings.