Rachel Payne is a mezzo-soprano from San Jose, California. Her vocal quality reminds listeners of the golden age of singing. She is dedicated to fantastic performance, and a champion of music and stage production in her various undertakings as a producer.
Rachel’s education has taken her around the world, from New York’s Manhattan School of Music to Vienna’s Musik und Kunst Privat Universität, Her continuing educational pursuits have led her to work with renowned mezzo soprano, Marilyn Horne, dramatic soprano, Linda Watson, and lyric baritone, Vladimir Chernov as well as the incredible vocal technician Olga Toporkova.
Rachel has performed in Paris, Vienna, various cities in Germany, and Siena Italy. She has regularly performed in California, most recently in Los Angeles as Zita in Gianni Schicci and the Abess in Suor Angelica and in San Francisco in a new opera, called Ammon and the King. In addition to this, she performed in mainstage roles as Euridice in Orfeo, Nedda in Pagliacci, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium, Berta in The Barber of Seville, The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Dido in Dido and Aeneas; and Inez in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Rachel currently resides in Auckland, New Zealand.
Beyond opera, Rachel produced two musicals: Anthem, and Hoarders, and three albums: Twisted Folk, Mourning, and upcoming Nursery Tales. She also runs Operation Opera, a podcast about contemporary opera performance.