Rachel Beausoleil Contact: Rachel Beausoleil Website: | Rachel Beausoleil Private voice lessons in most musical styles Sight singing and ear training Singer Rachel Beausoleil has been entertaining Ottawa audiences with her warm and sultry interpretations for over 15 years. She has played at clubs, private parties, large corporate functions, and cultural events. Over the years, Rachel has performed with numerous ensembles, including mainstream, Latin, and a cappella jazz combos, as well as a classic rock band and classical choirs.
Currently, Rachel is promoting her new album, The Dawning, which features her powerful and dynamic voice against an intimate backdrop of piano and bass. This eclectic collection includes songs from diverse ethnic traditions (ranging from Acadia to Latin America, with a detour through Russia) as well as standards from the American song book. The Dawning is the follow-up to Rachel’s first recording, Close to My Heart, released in 2002. That earlier CD is a rich collection of ballads—all especially arranged by Roddy Ellias, who is the featured guitarist and producer of the album. Both discs are available through CD Baby.
Rachel studied classical vocal technique with Ingemar Korjus of the University of Ottawa, where she received her Master’s of Music in Ethnomusicology. She has also studied vocal improvisation with Montreal diva Jeri Brown and Toronto's Julie Michels. She sings in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Russian.
In addition to performing, Rachel offers private voice lessons in her studio in the Alta Visa area of Ottawa. Her vocal technique emphasizes vocal health and longevity, and is suitable for most musical styles, including mainstream pop, country, jazz, classical choir music and solo repertoire, to name a few. She also teaches sight singing and ear training for both singers and instrumentalists. Teenager and adult lessons are typically 1 hour long. For children 5 to approximately 12 years old, Rachel teaches private, semi-private or group lessons. The lessons are 30 minutes in length and emphasize basic skills: singing in tune, good breathing and posture habits, and enunciation. These lessons are built around repertoire and techniques from Waldorf pedagogy. Small children are exposed to pentatonic music and songs that follow the seasons and the natural rhythms of the earth. Student testimonial: Rachel brings to her teaching a thoughtful and experienced approach to technique, a wealth of metaphor, and a sense of play. Her great strength lies in finding a teaching point in every musical passage, no matter how short and regardless of genre. Rachel has helped me to find my true singing voice and to rediscover the joy of song. – Peggy Robinson |
