Born in 1999, British soprano Rachel Ridout holds a First Class Honours Degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London where she was awarded the Van Smit Prize for Excellence. She studied under the tutelage of Mary Nelson and James Ballieau. In 2024 Rachel completed her Masters degree in Opera Singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater <Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy> in Leipzig. Rachel studied with Professor Carola Guber. During her studies Rachel was the recipient of the Countess of Munster Trust scholarship and the Deutschlandstipendium.

 

In the 2024/25 season, Rachel will make her house and role debut as Sophie Scholl in Die Weiße Rose by U. Zimmermann at Theater Erfurt and as Taumännchen in Hänsel und Gretel by E. Humperdinck at Opera Halle. After making her debut at Opera Leipzig last season, Rachel returns to embody two new roles: Fee 1 in Amadis, der Ritter by J.C. Bach and Delia in Die Reise nach Reims by G. Rossini. Other performed roles include Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann by J. Offenbach, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Papagena, 1/2 Knabe in Die Zauberflöte by W.A Mozart and Adlige Waise in Der Rosenkavalier by R. Strauss.

 

In 2021/22, Rachel Ridout was chosen to participate in Silvana Bazzoni Bartoli's Bel Canto Academy at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and was a Young Artist at the International Lied Festival Zeist. She made her debut at the Oxford Lieder Festival and was awarded the Hester Dickson Duo Prize at Oxenfoord International. Rachel has also performed at the Victoria International Arts Festival Malta Gozo and has sung in masterclasses with Elly Ameling, Nicky Spence, Robert Holl, Wolfgang Holzmair, Helmut Deutsch, Graham Johnson, Hans Eijsackers, Joseph Middleton and Malcom Martineau. Rachel is looking forward to the release of her debut recording on a CD of all of Hugo Wolf's Goethe Lieder, commissioned by the Bicentenary at the Royal Academy of Music.

 

During her time at RAM, Rachel performed regularly as part of the Academy Voices and Bach the European Concert Series, working with conductors such as Masaaki Suzuki, Trevor Pinnock, Eamonn Dougan and Iain Leddingham. She also sang the world premiere of Emma Ruth-Richard's song Red Anemones, written as one of the 200-piece projects commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music for their bicentenary celebrations.