Rachel Barg

Mezzo-soprano Rachel Barg (she/her), praised for her “wondrous depth of sound” (Opera News) and “plummy mezzo” (Opera Today), started the 2023-2024 season as Giovanna and Maddalena (cover) in OperaDelaware’s and Opera Baltimore’s production of Rigoletto in the fall. She will participate in Castleton Festival's Vocal Immersion Program under the guidance of tenor Paul Groves and mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung. In 2024, she sang Madame Larina and covered Olga in Eugene Onegin​​​​​​​ with Opera Baltimore, and returned to Opera Maine to cover Amneris in Aida.

In 2023, Rachel was a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theater of Saint Louis, sang Mrs. Ott in Susannah, and returned to Opera Maine as Tisbe in La Cenerentola. Rachel covered Frau Mary in Der fliegende Holländer at Opera Maine, and was an Emerging Artist at the Opera for Peace Academy in 2022. She was a finalist in the Music International Grand Prix competition in 2024. She was a winner and encouragement award recipient in the Nebraska and St. Louis districts of the Laffont Competition in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

She recently finished her artist diploma at William Jewell College, where she sang Charlotte (Werther), Grandma (The House Without a Christmas Tree), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), and the title role in Elizabeth Cree.

She was contracted to sing Madre Melchora in the East Coast premiere of Juana in July 2020 with Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble. In 2019, Rachel performed the role of Olga in concert performances of Eugene Onegin with the Eurasia Festival. She debuted the role of Arinyae in the world premiere of Theodore Christman’s A Metamorphosis in 2018.

Rachel covered and performed Dame Quickly in Falstaff with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance. While pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Michigan, Rachel performed the roles of Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Martin Katz, and Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the baton of Kathleen Kelly.

Other favorite roles performed are the Older Woman in Flight, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and Old Gypsy Woman in Aleko.

Rachel currently resides in Berlin with her dog, Lady Bird.