Alison McGillivray studied the cello at the RSAMD (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) with William Conway and subsequently became hooked on early music while studying with the late Jennifer Ward Clark: her love of the viola da gamba stems from accompanying the early English song class at the Royal Academy of Music. McGillivray played in London for many years as principal cellist and soloist with the Academy of Ancient Music and the English Concert.

McGillivray's solo recordings include C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto with the Academy of Ancient Music and, for Linn, Geminiani's cello sonatas with David McGuinness. Recent albums have includeed music by Tobias Hume with Concerto Caledonia, Vivaldi's L'Estro armonico with Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque, and Nine Daies Wonder with the Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments.

McGillivray is based in Glasgow and as a Feldenkrais Method practitioner combines her skills to explore how the way we move can influence the music we make.