Rachel Feldman
Evelyn Barry Director of Choral Programs and Assistant Teaching Professor in Music
Dr. Rachel Feldman enjoys an active career as a conductor, educator, scholar, and professional choral singer. She currently serves as Assistant Teaching Professor of Music and the Evelyn Barry Director of Choral Programs at Wellesley College, where she conducts the Wellesley College Choir and Chamber Singers, teaches conducting, and oversees the Choral Scholars program. She is joining Wellesley following the completion of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she earned cognates in Early Music and Music Education.
Prior to her appointment at Wellesley, Dr. Feldman served in a range of conducting and academic roles in Cincinnati, including the Director of the University of Cincinnati’s Alta Petit, teaching undergraduate conducting, serving as the Assistant Conductor of Musica Sacra, and Graduate Assistant Conductor of the CCM Chorale and Chamber Choir. For two seasons, she served as the Richard Wesp Assistant Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Youth Choir where she directed Bel Canto, led an international tour to Greece, and prepared singers for CCM performances and operatic productions. Previous academic appointments include Director of Choral Activities at Connecticut College and Director of Choral Ensembles at Mount Holyoke College, where she directed choral ensembles and taught courses in conducting, music history, and music theory.
As a choral singer, Dr. Feldman has performed with choirs across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is a member of Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, Cincinnati’s premier professional vocal ensemble dedicated to presenting passionate and innovative performances of choral music. Recent performances include Rossini’s Petite Messe Sollenelle and a staged production of Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri with its companion composition, Shaw’s To the Hands. She has also sung with the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir in acclaimed performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Dr. Feldman's research interests include the unaccompanied sacred choral works of Cecilia McDowall and Portuguese early music. She is an active clinician and festival conductor, and has presented at the New York Summer Conference of the American Choral Director’s Association.
Dr. Feldman has studied conducting with Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. Brett Scott, Dr. Amanda Quist, and Dr. Jamie Spillane. She holds a DMA in Choral Conducting from CCM, an MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College and a BA in Music from the University of Connecticut. As a Connecticut native, Dr. Feldman began her training with the Elm City Girls Choir in New Haven.
Education
- B.A., University of Connecticut
- M.M., Westminster Choir College of Rider University
- D.M.A., University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music