Rachel Duckett is a multiple prize-winning British-Jamaican soprano from London, praised as a “rising star” (Classic FM) with a “crystalline voice” (Pro Opera) and “impressive technique” (The Guardian). In 2022, she garnered recognition with numerous awards, including the Sir Willard White Grand Prize Trophy at The Voice of Black Opera, the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the Grand Prix de la Voix of the Centre d’Art Lyrique de la Méditerranée, the Christiane Eda-Pierre, Amis des Voix des Outre-Mer prize (Voix des Outre-Mers), and multiple awards at the Gordes International Mélodie Competition.
Recent career highlights include her solo debut at the Royal Albert Hall for Classic FM’s LIVE event, performing in Peter Brathwaite’s Insurrection: A Work in Progress at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and appearing as a guest performer at the Opéra Bastille for the Concours Voix des Outre-Mers Finale. She also created the role of Fire in the world premiere of Babel (Monterisi/Thomas) at Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur.
Rachel is renowned for her stratospheric coloratura, bringing to life roles such as Lakmé (Lakmé), Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), La Fée
(Cendrillon by P. Viardot), and Adele (Die Fledermaus). She also excels in more lyrical roles like Nanetta (Falstaff), Elisetta (Il Matrimonio Segreto), and Serpina (La Serva Padrona), as well as contemporary roles including Beketaten (Akhnaten by Philip Glass), Hyacinth (Women of the Windrush by Dr. Shirley J. Thompson), Fire/Water (Babel), Scheherazade (Sinbad by Howard Moody), and Eve’s Image (States of Innocence by Ed Hughes).
Upcoming engagements include a concert version of Beketaten (Akhnaten) in collaboration with the Orchestre de la Philharmonie de Paris.
As a part-time composer, her portfolio includes a string quartet inspired by Molière’s The Misanthrope, a 70th Anniversary commemorative piece, 1948 Windrush: Get Your Coat, A Lotta Water. She is currently developing an original opera-music theatre piece, Iroko’s Song, exploring the stories of Solitude La Mulâtresse of Guadeloupe and Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Rachel’s dedication to fostering music across diverse platforms is reflected in her founding of the Holborn Community Orchestra which celebrates its 10th anniversary next spring.
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