RACHEL BATE

Co-creator/Producer

Wollongong born Soprano Rachel Bate, graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and an Advanced Diploma of Opera Studies. Rachel has been fortunate to win many of Australia's most prestigious Operatic Scholarships and awards, including the Opera Foundation of Australia's German Opera Scholarship, The Australian Singing Competition's Marianne Marty Scholarship, the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera and Arts Scholarship, the JSRB Foundations Deborah Riedel Prize and the Joan Carden Award.

As the winner of the German Opera Scholarship, Rachel spent 12 months working as a young artist in the Cologne Opera House, performing various roles in the Kinderopera as well as two main stage roles, debuting 'Ein Hirt/Marchesa' in Tosca and 'Contessa Ceprano' in Rigoletto. In 2012, Rachel was handpicked as one of 15 singers worldwide to study at the 'Internationale Meistersinger Akademie.' There, Rachel was fortunate to work with many of the affiliates of the Bayerische Staatsoper, The Metropolitan Opera and The Juilliard School, New York. In 2012, Rachel was also engaged in John Cage’s Europera’s performances in Cologne and Amsterdam for 2012.

As a concert singer, Rachel has performed solo under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling in Bach’s b minor mass in Stuttgart, with Maestro Michael Hofstetter and the Bayerische Rundfunk orchestra in Neumarkt. In Sydney, Rachel has performed with Maestro Giovanni Reggioli at the Opera House, ‘Anitra’ under the baton of Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Grieg’s Peer Gynt. Rachel has performed the following lead roles of Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica, Nedda in Pagliacci, Bessy in Mahagonny Songspiel, Frau Fluth in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor and Nancy in Albert Herring.’

Upon returning to Australia, Rachel took up the post of Head of Voice at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. Here she oversaw the development of the vocal department and its private and ensemble students expanding the

Rachel has more recently been involved with Opera Production company, Opera Carnivalé, which works in collaboration with Sydney Conservatorium and regional Conservatorium students with Colleague and co-producer, Dr. Narelle Yeo. This is their fourth season in the Wollongong Spiegeltent Festival with a recent production also performed in Bathurst with a local cast. Rachel has produced and starred for the last three years in their Wollongong productions and now Bathurst. The company has allowed Rachel to focus on her three passions, Opera singing, teaching and mentoring.

Rachel currently resides in Bathurst with her young family, teaching as a choral and vocal specialist at the Scots All Saints College, Bathurst and is about to begin her casual singing contract with Opera Australia in March 2020.