Introduction

The Singer
Gillian Rae-Walker is a lyric soprano with a clear, strong, well-focussed sound throughout a very wide range, capable of both dramatic and pianissimo top notes and with easy coloratura.

She is an excellent musician, having studied the piano from the age of 8 and having also performed a wide range of choral classical music and folk music, until she began serious vocal studies. She is also an accomplished linguist, completely fluent in German, with excellent French and good Italian.

Present Work and Repertoire
Gillian Rae-Walker is presently in demand as an oratorio soloist throughout the UK, where she has sung to considerable acclaim. While she is at home with mainstream repertoire such as Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Mendelssohn's Elijah and Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony, the upper extension to her voice also makes her particularly suited to works such as Verdi's Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana.

Gillian's wide knowledge of the operatic and song repertoire has been useful in providing solo interludes within choral or orchestral concerts as in her recent concert with the Chamber Ensemble of London at St. Martin-in- the-Fields, where she sang Purcell's Dido's Lament, Handel arias and a Vivaldi motet. Other examples of solo interludes are Puccini's Doretta's Dream, Delibes' Flower Duet and Britten's song cycle On this Island. She is presently working on orchestral songs by Liszt and Strauss. Gillian is also available for functions and recitals.