Canadian mezzo-soprano Rachel Guertin-Lambertson is known for her great musicality and sensitivity on stage. Her genuine, charming presence, combined with the warmth and agility of her voice, easily captivates the audience, making her a promising young artist.
Currently pursuing her Master of Music in classical voice at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, she had a very successful first academic year, having been awarded the Holland Scholarship, from the Amsterdam Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Her second and last academic year has started off wonderfully, as she has performed for the first time at the Bimhuis, one of the Netherlands’ most renown concert halls.
In May 2020, Rachel obtained her bachelor’s degree at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, with a mention of excellence and a final result of 92%. Her first big appearance was in 2018, when she sang the aria Zerfliesse mein Herze from Bach’s Johannes-Passion during the Montreal Bach Festival, at the Church of St. Andrews and St. Paul and at the Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac. In the summer of 2017, she won an important scholarship to participate in the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, in Germany, directed by the highly acclaimed German director, Helmuth Rilling. During her college and bachelor studies, she played leading roles such as the Fairy Godmother in Massenet’s Cendrillon (2016), Papagena and Knabe Zwei in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2018), Ida in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (2019), and Noémie in Massenet’s Cendrillon (2020).
Throughout her years of study, Rachel has been awarded important grant, including the Holland Scholarship (2020) and the Aida bursary from the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada foundation. She has won first place in several competitions like the Pierre-de-Saurel music competition (2018), the Choeur de la Montagne competition (2018 & 2019), and the Concours de Musique de Sherbrooke (2019).
Rachel has worked with several renowned teachers, coaches, and directors such as Helmuth Riling, Kathy Saltzman Romey, Lorenzo Ghirlanda, Julien Prégardien, Barbara Bonney, Don Marrazzo, Natalie Doucet, David Bollen, Alexander Oliver, Roberta Alexander, Marc Krone, Sasja Hunnego, Martin Vacha, Céline Dutilly, Donna Brown, Jacques Lacombe and Julian Kuerti.
Since the age of six, Rachel has extensively studied classical piano. In addition, she has 16 years of classical ballet training and has performed in other styles such as ballet-jazz, contemporary and flamenco. Because of her dance training, Rachel was able to acquire great confidence and ease on stage, from a very young age.
2021-2022 will certainly be a challenging but promising year for the young singer, as she will be taking part in concerts, masterclasses, and competitions, as well as auditioning for some Opera Academies and Young Artist Programs in Europe, for the year of 2022-2023.
”I express myself through music. It liberates me in ways that words simply cannot. For me, a world without music is no world at all. Through a simple but powerful message, music is what connects people and we, the musicians, are the messengers.”
Rachel Guertin-Lambertson
September 2021
