​"The Queen of the Night role is perhaps best known for the second of her two trapeze-act arias in “Flute,” which showcase the brave soprano’s extremely high coloratura range. Sparrow rose to the occasion with ease, and wowed the audience with her precision and range on both arias." -  Do Savannah Review
"I like this slightly wicked Rosina!
​Terrifically accurate...effortless sounding fioratura!" 
- Judge Comments, Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition 
“Sparrow was dewily sweet as Polly Peachum”
– Indiana Public Media
(The Threepenny Opera, Indianapolis Opera)

Repertoire 

Opera

Baroque
Drusilla (L'incoronazione di Poppea)
Belinda (Dido and Aeneas)
Morgana (Alcina)
Semele (Semele)
Partenope (Partenope)
Dalinda (Ariodante)
Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare)

Mozart
Queen of the Night (Magic Flute)
Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail)
Celia (Lucio Silla)
Despina (Cosi fan tutte)
Zerlina (Don Giovanni)
Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro)

Bel Canto
Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor)
Gilda (Rigoletto)
Adina (L'elisir d'amore)
Norina (Don Pasquale)
Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
Marie (La Fille du Regiment)

Romantic 
Lakmé (Lakmé)
Olympia (Les Contes D'Hoffman)
La Fee (Cendrillon)
Baby Doe (Ballad of Baby Doe)
Sophie (Werther)
Micaëla (Carmen)
Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier)
Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos)

Contemporary
Tytania (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Lady with hand mirror (Postcard from Morocco)
Rose Murrant (Street Scene)
Lucy (The Telephone)
La Voix Humaine

Operetta
Cunegonde (Candide)
Adele (Die Fledermaus)
Kathie (Student Prince)
Mabel (Pirates of Penzance)
Marietta (Naughty Marietta)

Concert/Oratorio

Bach:
St. Matthew's Passion
St. Johns Passion
Christmas Oratorio
Mass in B minor

Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915

Brahms: Requiem

Britten: Les Illuminations

Canteloube : Chant d' Auvergne

Faure: Requiem

Gliere: Concerto for Coloratura

Handel:
Messiah
Joshua
Judas Maccabeus

Haydn: The Creation

Robert A. Harris: Gloria

Karl Jenkins: Requiem for Peace

Lloyd Webber: Requiem

Mahler:
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 4

Mozart:
Coronation Mass
Exultate Jubilate
Mass in C Minor
Requiem

Orff: Carmina Burana

Poulenc: Gloria

Rachmaninoff: The Bells

Schubert: Shepherd on a Rock

Strauss: Brentano Lieder

Vivaldi: Beatus Vir

Musical Theater


Ado Annie & Laurey (Oklahoma)

Maria (Sound of Music)

Anna (King and I)

Nellie (South Pacific)

Carrie Pipperidge (Carousel)

Cinderella (Cinderella)

Guinevere (Camelot)

Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady)

Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls)

Dolly (Hello Dolly)

Magnolia (Showboat)

Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Polly (The Threepenny Opera)

Christine & Carlotta (Phantom of the Opera)

Cosette (Les Miserables)

Galinda (Wicked)

Lady of the Lake (Spamalot)

Johanna (Sweeney Todd)

Princess Winifred (Once Upon a Mattress)

Cinderella (Into the Woods)

Lucille (Parade)
“Rachel Sparrow has all the vocal talent she needs to portray Swedish opera star Jenny Lind.” – Chicago Reader 

 “Sparrow hits gorgeous operatic notes out of the park as Jenny Lind” 
 – Chicago Theater Beat 

“Park has cast a bona fide opera singer, Rachel Sparrow, to play Barnum's "Swedish Nightingale," Jenny Lind. She does a lovely job with her solo.” 
 - Talkin’ Broadway Regional 
“Four highly talented, charismatic voice students from Northwestern (Rachel Sparrow, soprano) combined to sing the Quartet from Rigoletto. Their stage presence and dramatic facial expressions added to the marvelous singing.”
​ – Kenosha, WI News 

Résumé

Roles


  • Königin der Nacht, Die Zauberflöte Savannah Voice Festival, (Sherrill Milnes) Georgia

  • Queen of the Night, The Magic Flute, Petite Opera Productions, Park Ridge, IL 

  • Gretchen (& Kathie cover), The Student Prince, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre 

  • Jenny Hill (& Sandra cover) Big Fish, Theatre at the Center, Munster, IN

  • Cosette (cover), Les Misérables, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre 

  • Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance, Indianapolis Opera Ensemble 

  • Polly, The Threepenny Opera, Indianapolis Opera (James Caraher)

  • Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Musica Lirica Italy (Joseph Rescigno)

  • Drusilla, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Northwestern University 

  • Fairy Godmother, Cendrillon, Petite Opera Productions Park Ridge, IL

  • Ortensia, Bastianello by John Musto, Northwestern University 

  • Jenny Lind, Barnum! Quest Theatre Ensemble, Chicago 

  • Pamina, Die Zauberflöte, (concert version) Northwestern University 

  • Genevieffa, Suor Angelica, Idaho Falls Opera Theatre

  • Solo opera, La voix humaine, Modern Theater Duo, Nashville

Awards

  • First Prize, Barry Alexander International Competition at Carnegie Hall  "Bell Song" Lakme, "Girl in 14G"

  • Audience Favorite, (Semi-Finals) American Traditions Competition

  • Finalist, American Prize Opera Competition

  • Audience Favorite, Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition        "Una voce poco fa" Il Barbiere di Siviglia

  • Audience Favorite, Michael Ballam Concorso Lirico International Competition     "Caro Nome" Rigoletto
                        
  • Second Prize & Audience Favorite, Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition  "Glitter and Be Gay" Candide
 
  • Encouragement Award,  Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions  "Bell Song" Lakme,  "Regnava nel silenzio" Lucia di Lammermoor
      
  • First Prize, Evanston Music Club Competition   "Bell Song" Lakme

  • First Prize, National Association of Teachers of Singing Illinois "Bell Song" Lakme

  • Second Prize, Nicholas Loren International Vocal Competition "Bell Song" Lakme  "Presentation of the Rose" Der Rosenkavalier

Concert

  • "Five Images After Sappho" Esa-Pekka Salonen, Northwestern Contemporary Music Ensemble, Pick Staiger Concert Hall, *Special Guest, Esa-Pekka Salonen

  • "Girl in 14-G"& "Bell Song" Carnegie Hall Debut, BAIVC Winner’s Recital   
​
  • Gilda, “Caro Nome” from Rigoletto, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre Orchestra                                                                                           
  • Songs, Toivo Tulev (U.S. Premiere) Northwestern University                            
  • Gilda, Rigoletto Quartet, Philharmonia Orchestra, Northwestern University 

  • “Brindisi” from La Traviata Kenosha Wisconsin Symphony                              
  • Gloria, Robert A. Harris *Composer & Conductor, Northwestern University Symphony & Chorus, Millennium Park, Chicago                                            
  • Unfurling, Jivin Misra (World Premiere) Northwestern University

Education

Master's of Opera Northwestern University

Bachelor's of Voice Idaho State University       

Bachelor's of Music Education, Idaho State University

Special Skills

Piano (14 years); Violin (19 years); Character voices, Ear for mimicry of accents & dialects. Mouth Trumpet.  Excellent sight-reader & quick memorizer; Dance : beginning ballet, ballroom, hip-hop, swing; Cartwheels, Conducting, Teaching, Producing, Directing, Fund raising, & MC