Rachel Sparrow
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Rachel Sparrow


"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)
Picture

Repertoire 


Rachel has performed these NEW MUSIC works recently: 

FIVE IMAGES AFTER SAPPHO - soprano & orchestra: by Esa Pekka Salonen, honored guest 

ANTHEM - soprano & orchestra: by George Lewis, honored guest Jennifer Higdon

SPARROWS - soprano & chamber orchestra: Joseph Schwantner 

SONGS - chorus, orchestra & soloists: Toivo Tulev

"Sometimes new music gets a bad reputation amongst classical music lovers - because it can sometimes make an audience feel "uncomfortable". -But, I believe that being uncomfortable usually serves a purpose. In ALL art forms of human expression, there are things that aren't necessarily "beautiful"...but are none the less necessary, meaningful, and inspire change in humanity.
Furthermore ...NOT ALL NEW MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE! There is SO much new music out there being vibrantly created all the time, with soaring melodies and poetic beautiful ideas. 
From every range of expression and human experiences that we endure in life.  I love new music. It's such a breathe of fresh air. We must keep creating in our ever-changing world.  Music can be so healing, unifying, it can guide us to higher purposes.
If you are a composer, and you need a singer that can do "hard things" and provide voice for your expressions- I'm your girl."
- Rachel Sparrow
 

Opera

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

Mozart
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)







​"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
“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 

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; Movement: a singer that can dance a bit, but not a 'dancer'. Excellent Cartwheels. Other skills: Conducting, Teaching, Producing, Stage Directing, Fund raising, & Master of Ceremonies

Picture
Art by: Krislyn Dillard
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