BIO

Mezzo-Contralto Rachel Falaise (née Dreese) graduated with a Masters Degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she studied with Lorna Anderson and Cameron Burns. Rachel was previously educated at City University London where she studied with Sarah Pring at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as part of her University Course. Rachel is generously supported by the Split Infinitive Trust and Musicians Benevolent Fund.

Opera Roles include Hata, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride (Guildford Opera); Popova, William Walton The Bear (Opera Anywhere); Marthe (cover), Faust (Winterbourne Opera); Zorah, Ruddigore (Forbear! Theatre); Pitti-Sing, The Mikado (Opera Anywhere); Molly, The Three Wayfarers, John Whittaker, (Opera Anywhere) *New Work Premiere*; Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (Opera’r Ddraig); Maurya, Riders to the Sea (Bute Park Opera); Mercedes, Carmen (Opera'r Ddraig); Juno (Cover), Semele (Sforza Productions); Blues Soloist (Cover), Paul Bunyan (British Youth Opera); L’enfant, L’enfant et les sortilèges (Bute Park Opera); Juno, Orpheus in the Underworld (Opera’r Ddraig); Edith, The Pirates of Penzance (Kenneth More Theatre); Casilda, The Gondoliers (Loughton Operatic Society); Jennie, Down in the Valley (Kenneth More Theatre); Countess Susanna, Susanna’s Secret (Kenneth More Theatre) and Mrs Noah from Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde.

Oratorio Roles include Alto Soloist for Mozart’s krönungsmesse, William Mathias’ St Teilo, Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man, Beethoven's Mass in C, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Mozart’s Missa in C Spatzenmesse, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis ‘Nelson Mass’, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols.

During her studies Rachel sung in the presence of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and sang as a Bursary student with the BBC National Chorus of Wales. Rachel now sings with the Philharmonia Chorus.

Masterclasses and workshops include the April 2013 British Youth Opera workshop, solo masterclasses with Catrin Wyn-Davis, Donald Maxwell, Simon Halsey and Elin Manahan Thomas and a choral masterclass with John Rutter.

Rachel is the 2016 winner of the ‘Most Promising Singer’ award at the Freda Parry Scholarship Competition. She is also a sought after concert soloist including performances as a guest singer at The Mermaid Theatre in London at an awards ceremony for the Jack Petchey Award Scheme, as well as performing in The Floral Hall at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.