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"Sparkling and determined"

DAVID WINSKILL, HAM & HIGH

"Apart from showing impressive technique in Gilda’s aria Caro Nome from Verdi’s Rigoletto and Zerbinetta’s So War es mit Pagliazzo from Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Duckett ... was giving a dramatic performance..."

ANDREW CLEMENTS, THE GUARDIAN

BIOGRAPHY

Rachel is a soprano of British and Jamaican heritage and recent winner of the Sir Willard White Trophy grand prize of the Voice of Black Opera competition after which she made her BBC Radio 3 debut with a live broadcast of the arias, “Caro nome” and Lakmé’s “Bell Song”.

Rachel is delighted to be evoking the character of Margaret Brathwaite in the ground-breaking project Insurrection: A Work in Progress at the Royal Opera House over the course of 5 sharing between 21st-25th March 2023

 

Rachel became a prize winner at several other competitions last year, including, the Grand Prix de la Voix du Centre d’Art Lyrique de la Méditerranée, where she won First Prize as well as the Audience Prize; the 14th Concours International de la Mélodie de Gordes, where she was a recipient of three prizes; She became the first recipient of the Prix des Amis des Voix des Outre-Mer Christiane Eda-Pierre awarded by the Voix des Outre-mers, with whom she will perform Olympia The Tales of Hoffmann in the Reunion Island in February. 

 

Having made her Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur debut in 2020 as Beketaten in Lucinda Childs’ award winning production of Akhnaten (P. Glass), Rachel was soon invited back to perform the roles, Fire and Water at the world premier of Babel (Monterisi/Thomas) in June 2022, and Nanetta Falstaff in the Réunion Famille Gala in anticipation of Opéra de Nice’s 2022/23 season.

 

Rachel’s previous roles include: Cupid (Venus & Adonis) in Venice, Italy; La Fée Cendrillon (P. Viardot), a role she performed on two separate occasions, with Centre d'Art Lyrique de la Méditerranée and then with Northern Opera Group in 2020; Adele Die Fledermaus at Wilton's Music Hall; Queen of the Night

Die Zauberflöte at the Théâtre du Petit Monde, Paris, and Elisetta Il Matrimonio Segreto (Hampstead Garden Opera)

Rachel obtained her bachelor's degree in music from Goldsmiths University where she trained as a pianist-composer before sharing her final recital between piano and voice. She was commissioned to write 1948 Windrush: “Get your coat, a lot water" commemorating 70 years since the ship docked in Tilbury, England, 22 days after leaving Kingston, Jamaica. The piece premiered in Kings Place, London, as part of the “Women of the Windrush” event curated by Shirley Thompson and was subsequently performed again at the Bernie Grant Arts Center the following year.

On completion of her undergraduate studies, Rachel pursued her vocal development through private lessons and participation in Masterclasses with various esteemed pedagogues, including Anita Morrison, Gary Coward, Isabelle Guillaud, Elizabeth Vidal , André Cognet, Janice Chapman, Nelly Miricioiu, David Gowland, Giles Havergal  Sophie Koch and Susan Manoff. 

 

News

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schedule

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CONCERT ENGAGEMENT

ICH BIN VERGNUGT CANTATA BWV 84

J.S. BACH

ORCHESTRE PALAIS JUSTICE
PARIS
25 JANUARY 2024

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LAKME

LAKME

YZEURE 
APRIL DATES TBC

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CONCERT ENGAGEMENT

WELSH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA
2024 - DETAILS COMING SOON

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GURU

LA DISCIPLE A L'ORANGE

Laurent Petitgirard
THEATRE NATIONAL DE NICE
| OPERA DE NICE
20, 22, 24 FEBRUARY 2024 

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TOUS A L'OPERA

RECITAL

CLERMONT-AUVERGNE OPERA
14H00  11 MAY 
2024

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CONCERT ENGAGEMENT

HOMMAGE A CHRISTIANE EDA-PIERRE

OPERA CLERMONT AUVERGNE
8 MARCH 2024

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STATES OF INNOCENCE

EVE'S IMAGE

Ed Hughes
BRIGHTON DOME CORN EXCHANGE
19 MAY 2024

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CLASSIC FM LIVE

ROYAL SCOTTISH ORCHESTRA

ROYAL ALBERT HALL LONDON
22 APRIL 2024

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SINBAD

SCHEHERAZADE

Howard Moody
OPERA DE NICE
20 JUIN 2024

VIDEOS

Past Performances

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PRIERS DANS L'OPERA

LAKME / MARFA

/ S. CONSTANCE

ANTHEA ANTIBES
24, 25 NOVEMBER 2023

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FALSTAFF

NANETTA (COVER)

OPERA DE NICE
APRIL 2023

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REUNION DE FAMILLE

LAKME: DUO DES FLEURS

OPERA DE NICE
9 SEPTEMBER 2023

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INSURRECTION:

A WORK IN PROGRESS

MARGARET BRATHWAITE

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE COVENT GARDEN
21 - 25 MARCH 2023

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LAKME

LAKME

CENTRE D'ART LYRIQUE DE LA MEDITERRANEE
16, 17, 18 JUNE 2023

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VOIX DES OUTRE-MER

CONCOURS FINALE

OPERA BASTILLE, PARIS
4 FEBRUARY 2023

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SUSAN MANOFF

MASTERCLASS

LES SAISONS DE LA VOIX A GORDES
26 - 28 MAY 2023

 

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Les Contes d'Hoffmann

OLYMPIA

SALLE GRAMOUN LELE, LA REUNION
17, 18 FEBRUARY 2023

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BABEL (PREMIER)

MONTERISI / THOMAS

OPERA DE NICE
JUNE 2022

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CENDRILLION

PAULINE VAIRDOT

CENTRE D'ART LYRIQUE MEDITERRANNEE
MARCH 2020 - WATCH HERE

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PIRATES OF PENZANCE

GILBERT & SULLIVAN

GREENWHICH CUTTY SARK
SEPT 2019

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VENUS & ADONIS

BLOW

MUSEO GRIMALDI, VENICE
AUG 2021

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 MUSIC OF WOMAN

A VINDICATION OF

NEWINGTON GREEN
MEETING HOUSE
6 APR 2021 - WATCH HERE

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IL MATRIMONIO SEGRETO

CIMAROSA

JACKSON LANE THEATRE
Nov 2018

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AKHNATEN

PHILIP GLASS

OPERA DE NICE
12 14 16 NOV 2021

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LA TRAVIATA

VERDI

TEATRO COMUNALE VITTORIO
SICILY, ITALY 2019

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DIE FLEDERMAUS

STRAUSS II

WILTONS MUSIC HALL
LONDON, 2018

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CINDERELLA

PAULINE VAIRDOT

NORTHERN OPERA GROUP
12 DEC 2020 - WATCH HERE

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LA TRAVIATA

VERDI

HAMPSTEAD GARDEN OPERA

JACKSON LANE THEATRE 2018

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THE MAGIC FLUTE

MOZART

BOUFFON THEATRE, PARIS 
JULY 2018

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