Rachel Fenlon

Soprano, Piano

Biography

Rachel Fenlon is a soprano and pianist who is finding a unique voice on the classical music stages of the world. Drawing from a singer-songwriter approach, Rachel performs song recitals as both singer and pianist accompanying herself. Praised for her “unusually shaped recitals in keeping with her extraordinary talent” (Places des Arts/Festival de Lanaudière), Rachel Fenlon performs internationally as a recitalist, as solo pianist and singer, and on the opera stage. Rachel was born in the UK, raised on the west coast of Canada, and is now based in Berlin.

Rachel has performed self-accompanied recitals at prestigious festivals such as the Oxford Lieder Festival, Festival de Lanaudière, Ottawa Chamberfest, National Arts Centre Canada, Settimane Musicali di Ascona, Vancouver Opera Festival, Martha Argerich Festival Hamburg, Toronto Summer Music Festival,  Oper Leipzig, PODIUM Festival Matadepera, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Kammermusik Festival Ahrenshoop, Bristol Song Recitals, the Canadian Broadcasting Company Studios, GEDOK Festival Berlin, and at venues such as the National SAW Gallery, Kuhlhaus Berlin, the Fox Cabaret Vancouver, Late Night Liederabend Vienna, Orpheum Annex Vancouver, Against the Grain Toronto, Oper Leipzig, Gallery 345 Toronto, Neue Schloss Tettnang, Vancouver Opera, the Baumann Centre at Pacific Opera Victoria, and the Theater am Delphi Berlin.

This 2022/23 season, Rachel performs self-accompanied recitals of Schubert’s Die Winterreise across Canada and Europe – beginning at the Ottawa Chamberfest, Big Lake Festival Ontario, LOBE Block Berlin, Kühlhaus Berlin, Neue Schloss Tettnang, Klangwerk Lied Freiburg, and Virtuosi Festival Brazil. Rachel makes her self-accompanied recital debuts at the prestigious Settimane Musicali di Ascona in Switzerland, and Oxford Lieder Festival in varying programmes including Alban Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder, Hugo Wolf songs, Debussy, Mahler, and George Crumb’s Apparition. Collaborations for Rachel this season include guest singing on a new album by Sarah Sleane, a recital with mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel at Schloss Goerne, and performances of Messiaen’s Poemes Pour Mi with pianist Leslie Dala at the Orpheum Annex Vancouver. An exciting new collaboration with dance, Rachel performs self-accompanied recitals in collaboration with the dance company Tanzfabrik Berlin at Teatro del Giglio and Scompiglio in Lucca, Italy. Future dance collaborations include a Pierrot Lunaire with Ne.Sans Dance Company. This past summer, Rachel jumped in for Martha Argerich at the Martha Argerich Festival in Hamburg.

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Reviews

“Canadian soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon is redefining what it means to curate one’s own recital.”

Schmopera

“Rachel Fenlon is an unusual talent.  She’s equally skilled as a soprano and as a pianist and she has combined those talents to create an evolving show called Fenlon and Fenlon where she sings (mostly) art song while accompanying herself on piano. Rachel is a very decent singer and a really good pianist and above all a thoughtful and creative musician.  Last night was full of little “I thought I might just try this” moments that were great fun and very valid ways of exploring the songs… I like my traditional Liederabend as much as most folks but if someone is going to try to be different I’m much more attracted to what Rachel does than to slipping in some Rodgers and Hammerstein or Leonard Cohen.”

John Gilks

Opera Ramblings