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- Hi there! I'm Rachel. Thanks for visiting my site. There are more details "about" me below, but the 6 most important things are:
1. I love to eat crab rangoons! (alright, perhaps that's not most important) 2. My favorite artistic projects inspire joy, relieve suffering, or initiate innovation. I enjoy stretching my vocal cords and consider no genre "off-limits". I sing opera, musical theatre, jazz...and I even used to gig in one of the best cover rock bands in Chicagoland. Yep. Unique. 3. I arrange! -Mostly healing and uplifting sacred solo song. Listen & watch or purchase my sheet music. I compose too, but most songs are spontaneous, for my children and I need to write them all down! 4. I enjoy producing concerts that welcome children to be a part of the audience. I wish all children had more opportunities to see live classical music. I also love participating in benefit concerts for charitable causes. 5. I've got a family that lights up my life. I'm blessed to have the best most supportive husband and two amazing kids. Our lifestyle allows us to travel and chase dreams. 6. I sometimes write musings on all the above topics on my blog. My personal motto is to "Think Outside Your Box" And I am currently doing just that, in Chicagoland. Want the cliff notes version of what's below? Download my Opera Resume or Musical Theatre Resume on my Repertoire Page |
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Rachel Sparrow
(Biography by Barry Alexander)
Mention the name of soprano Rachel Sparrow to just about anyone who has heard her, and the reaction is that she is one of the most talented and versatile singers on the vocal scene today. Sparrow is part of a new generation of singers known for being as comfortable on Broadway stages as they are operatic ones.
Ms. Sparrow first drew attention from audiences and critics alike after completing her Master of Arts degree at Northwestern University. Making her European debut in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with La Musica Lirica, garnering rave reviews for her powerful acting and beautiful musicality. She then made her Indianapolis Opera debut as a “dewily sweet” Polly in Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera.
Rachel has a personality onstage that is hard to resist, and in nearly every competition she has come across, she has been awarded the "Audience Favorite" prize. She has been awarded prizes in both national and international competitions, which have done much to launch her career. This includes a Carnegie Hall NYC debut as part of her First Prize win in the Barry Alexander & Buono International Vocal Competition. As testimony to both her artistry and versatility, her program there not only included tour de force operatic works, such as the Bell Song, but also contemporary pieces, and Rachel's own arrangements of traditional American spirituals.
“It's important not to limit artistic expression to just one or two genres,” says Sparrow. “There are so many different kinds of music that speak to me personally, and I would hate to miss having the chance to share any of them with an audience.”
Yet the nature of her talent also extends to include works of living composers like Jeanine Tesori, John Musto, Robert A. Harris, and a performance of Harris’ Gloria, which she sang with the Northwestern University Symphony and Chorus at Millennium Park in Chicago under the composer's baton.
Combine this with her superb musicality and vocal facility, and it is easy to understand why she is rapidly becoming a much sought-after artist for some of the most complex and demanding new literature, such as Toivo Tulev’s Songs, or The Five Images After Sappho by Esa-Pekka Salonen, a performance in which she appeared as guest soloist in 2015 with Northwestern University’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, with the world-renowned composer/conductor in the audience. They had to have Rachel back in 2017 with renowned composer Jennifer Higdon as the honored guest this time, as the same ensemble performed Anthem by George Lewis. Rachel has recently been featured on Joseph Schwantner's personal website performing his virtuosic piece for chamber orchestra and soprano: Sparrows, and highlighted on Libby Larsen's personal website performing an artsong about miscarriage, (while pregnant) from The Birth Project song cycle.
An avid and scholarly approach to the arrangement of hymns and spirituals—part of a recording project she is currently preparing—round out a perception that when it comes to vocal performance, Ms. Sparrow is very much a modern day Renaissance woman.
Still, what must also not go unnoticed within this wonderfully diverse array of vocal abilities is a person whose commitment to her music is part of a deep and abiding spiritual infrastructure: Family, church, and friends do as much to underline her talent as anything purely musical. And while this may not necessarily distinguish her from any number of artists who maintain their success is connected to their personal religious beliefs, it is one of the many ways one can better understand why the future, for Rachel Sparrow and those lucky enough to hear her, appears unquestionably bright.
-By Barry Alexander of Alexander & Buono International
Ms. Sparrow first drew attention from audiences and critics alike after completing her Master of Arts degree at Northwestern University. Making her European debut in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with La Musica Lirica, garnering rave reviews for her powerful acting and beautiful musicality. She then made her Indianapolis Opera debut as a “dewily sweet” Polly in Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera.
Rachel has a personality onstage that is hard to resist, and in nearly every competition she has come across, she has been awarded the "Audience Favorite" prize. She has been awarded prizes in both national and international competitions, which have done much to launch her career. This includes a Carnegie Hall NYC debut as part of her First Prize win in the Barry Alexander & Buono International Vocal Competition. As testimony to both her artistry and versatility, her program there not only included tour de force operatic works, such as the Bell Song, but also contemporary pieces, and Rachel's own arrangements of traditional American spirituals.
“It's important not to limit artistic expression to just one or two genres,” says Sparrow. “There are so many different kinds of music that speak to me personally, and I would hate to miss having the chance to share any of them with an audience.”
Yet the nature of her talent also extends to include works of living composers like Jeanine Tesori, John Musto, Robert A. Harris, and a performance of Harris’ Gloria, which she sang with the Northwestern University Symphony and Chorus at Millennium Park in Chicago under the composer's baton.
Combine this with her superb musicality and vocal facility, and it is easy to understand why she is rapidly becoming a much sought-after artist for some of the most complex and demanding new literature, such as Toivo Tulev’s Songs, or The Five Images After Sappho by Esa-Pekka Salonen, a performance in which she appeared as guest soloist in 2015 with Northwestern University’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, with the world-renowned composer/conductor in the audience. They had to have Rachel back in 2017 with renowned composer Jennifer Higdon as the honored guest this time, as the same ensemble performed Anthem by George Lewis. Rachel has recently been featured on Joseph Schwantner's personal website performing his virtuosic piece for chamber orchestra and soprano: Sparrows, and highlighted on Libby Larsen's personal website performing an artsong about miscarriage, (while pregnant) from The Birth Project song cycle.
An avid and scholarly approach to the arrangement of hymns and spirituals—part of a recording project she is currently preparing—round out a perception that when it comes to vocal performance, Ms. Sparrow is very much a modern day Renaissance woman.
Still, what must also not go unnoticed within this wonderfully diverse array of vocal abilities is a person whose commitment to her music is part of a deep and abiding spiritual infrastructure: Family, church, and friends do as much to underline her talent as anything purely musical. And while this may not necessarily distinguish her from any number of artists who maintain their success is connected to their personal religious beliefs, it is one of the many ways one can better understand why the future, for Rachel Sparrow and those lucky enough to hear her, appears unquestionably bright.
-By Barry Alexander of Alexander & Buono International
