Soporano Rachel Blaustein performs Handel’s Messiah & Holiday Pops December 7–8, 2024.

Praised for her “brilliant lyric soprano,” Rachel Blaustein is quickly gaining recognition for her riveting stage presence and innate musicality. Rachel was one of the ten national finalists for the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, earning a spot in the next generation of opera stars and winning the Fernand Lamesch National Finalist Award!.

Last season, Ms. Blaustein performed the role of Nanetta in Falstaff with Maryland Lyric Opera, Countess Almaviva in Annapolis Opera’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, and Pamina in The Magic Flute for Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ digital series, and she made her Carnegie Hall début as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana. Other concert engagements included Mozart’s Requiem with New Choral Society, a Maria Callas concert in Greece with MidAmerica Productions, appearances with Maryland Opera, and Gala concerts with Opera Edwardsville and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Rachel also made a recording of The Lord of Cries, which had its commercial release in August 2023 and was nominated for a GRAMMY Award.

This season, she sings Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Delaware and Opera Baltimore, joins Opera Omaha for their Opera Outdoors concert, performs as Sarah Kavalier in a workshop of Kavalier & Clay with The Metropolitan Opera, presents a recital at Academy Art Museum, and joins the Indianapolis Symphony and South Florida Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah.

Ms. Blaustein made her Santa Fe Opera début in summer 2021 as Autonoe in the world premiere of John Corigliano and Mark Adamo’s The Lord of Cries. Also recently, she made her Tulsa Opera début as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and joined the Washington National Opera to cover the role of the Monument in Kamala Sankaram and A.M. Homes’ Rise as part of the world premiere of Written in Stone. She also returned to Chicago Opera Theatre as Frasquita in Carmen, where she appeared previously as the Queer Kid in the Midwest premiere of Kamala Sankaram and Jerre Dye’s Taking up Serpents and in Daniel Catan and Juan Tovar’s La hija de Rappaccini. She also created the role of Micòl in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie’s new opera The Garden of the Finzi-Continis for New York City Opera, for which she received rave reviews. New York Times claimed she “brought a sweetness to Micòl that persevered through her character’s capriciousness,” and Broadway World thought she “made a strong impression with her lyric sound and smart presentation.” New York Classical Review felt she “had a rounded, gentle tone and elegant phrasing, while still able to express anguish.” She joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to cover Pamina in their production of The Magic Flute and to sing the role of Ruth and cover Rose in the world premiere of Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s Awakenings. She also joined The Metropolitan Opera for their workshop of Kevin Puts and Greg Pierce’s The Hours.

Previous engagements included an exciting début as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin with Opera NEO, Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Santa Barbara, performances as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, covers of Eurydice in Orphée et Eurydice and Maria Celeste in Galileo Galilei with Des Moines Metro Opera, Nannetta in Falstaff with Chautauqua Opera, and Kenzie in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited touring production of Earth to Kenzie. Ms. Blaustein was scheduled to join the Glimmerglass Festival for their 2020 season singing Despina in Così fan tutte and covering Sister Margareta in The Sound of Music and was to return to Opera Santa Barbara as Beth in Little Women, but these events were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Active in competition, Rachel Blaustein recently received an Encouragement Award from the 2021 MONC Northwest Region and second prize in the Partners for the Arts Competition, as well as third prize in the Tri-Cities Opera: TCO Next Virtual Vocal Competition. Rachel took second place in The American Prize: Women in Opera and was a finalist and won an Encouragement Award from both the 2019 Central Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Annapolis Opera Competition. Additionally, she won the Audience Choice Award in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition and was a finalist in Opera Ithaca’s Edward M. Murray International Competition of Voice.

A native of Olney, Maryland, Ms. Blaustein holds a bachelor’s degree in Voice with a minor in Drama from Hofstra University and a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.