"the radiant young soprano... floated velvet-gloved high notes"
"Best among the women, however, was newcomer Rachel Blaustein, who made a sensational company debut as Nannetta. The radiant young soprano... floated velvet-gloved high notes in this crucial role. She flirted innocently in the stolen moments with her lover, Fenton, and made a resplendent fairy queen in the opera’s gorgeous final scene."
Washington Classical Review
About Rachel
German-American Soprano Rachel Blaustein was recently named a Grand Finalist in the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Rachel's exciting 25/26 season begins with her debut with Spoleto Festival USA as Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw followed by her role and house debut with Cincinnati Opera as Hodel in a new production of Fiddler on the Roof. She concludes her summer as a 2025 Vocal Fellow with the prestigious Ravinia Festival Steans Institute. This season also holds a debut with Opera Montana as Viardot's titular Cendrillon, her debut with Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Handel's Messiah, a return to Chicago Opera Theater to cover Alice Ford in Salieri's Falstaff and a revival of Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof with Austin Opera.
Her '24/25 season included a return to Carnegie Hall for Erica Glenn's premiere of The Worldwide Requiem, her debut with Austin Opera as Jocelyn Jordan in The Manchurian Candidate, her debut with South Florida Symphony in Handel's Messiah, and the title role in Rusalka with Pacific Opera Project. In recent seasons, Rachel made her role and house debut as Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Delaware and Opera Baltimore to great acclaim, and joined The Metropolitan Opera workshop of Mason Bates' The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay in the role of Sarah Kavalier. She made appearances with Opera Omaha, Opera Tampa, Opera Ithaca, gave a recital with the Academy Art Museum, and joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for Handel's Messiah. Rachel previously sang Laura Brown in The Metropolitan Opera workshop of The Hours, debuted with Maryland Lyric Opera as Nannetta (Falstaff), and joined Annapolis Opera as Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro). She originated the role of Micól Finzi-Contini in Ricky Ian Gordon's world premiere, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis with New York City Opera and is on the 2024 Grammy Nominated album (Best Opera Recording), The Lord of Cries (John Corigliano), in the role of Autonoe.
